Bet On That
by Riley1sCool
Summary: Roman Torchwick's story is not over. He and Emerald Sustrai are the most skilled thieves in Remnant. Their conflicts are many. Philosophy, style, opinions, personality. But their stories are intertwined. And their fates change every day, focused on one thing: the Silver-Eyed Warrior.
1. Chapter 1

"Survi-"

Those were his last words. His last thoughts. He was so caught up in the moment. He had let his anger get the best of him. God, he missed Neo. And though he'd hate to admit it, he missed Red too. She had screwed up everything for him. He hated her. She made his blood boil.

Roman sat down. Whatever Salem was using him for was despicable, but that Grimm had been sent to take him to this realm for a reason. He slumped over, his chains binding him. He remembered the way things were. The way they were before Cinder, before Salem. He remembered when he was the best crook in Vale. And then Cinder had come along. Suave, beautiful.

Evil. That was her defining trait. She was so pretty, enchanting. It almost made you forget the way that she was likely to burn you to ashes when she got bored. He stopped being useful to her. Neo had defied orders just to save him. He had been the face of their operation. And now he was reduced to a man with damaged mascara, a destroyed hat, and a torn-up suit.

He longed for a cigar. He hadn't had one in ages. He longed to see Neo again. That little snot had thrown her off the airship, and he didn't know what happened to her. He longed for a lot of things. He wanted to see Neo again. He wanted to kill Red. That was first on the list.

He struggled, the chains cutting his skin. He tried to worm his way out. Why was he still alive? Or was he still alive? Had the Grimm been a hallucination, a dying dream of some sort? Was he in hell? Why would Salem and Cinder be here too.

He thought of Red. How idealistic she'd been. How stupid she'd been. How she didn't give a thought to the fact she'd murdered Neo, and, so far as she had known, him. He wanted to strangle her. He wanted to crush her windpipe with his bare hands for what she had done to Neopolitan.

And yet, something about the poor girl had endeared her to him. Was it the red? The color of chaos? No, couldn't be. The skills? Maybe, she was certainly good. No. It was the girl herself. How she had been so determined. "Bet on that," he whispered to himself. He chuckled, to cope with the pain.

He remembered how he and Neo had been. Partners in crime. It was universally appropriate for them to go out in the same place, on the same day. He knew it was an awful decision to open fire. The other ships never would have shot at a fleeing vessel. He could have left then and there. Changed.

Ah, could have. Such a phrase. He could have done a lot of things. He could have killed Red when they had first met. He fantasized about it now. Killing them all. That snide green-haired one, the boastful assassin. Cinder, the one who organized it all. The one who had been so condescending, who had treated him like common muscle.

But most of all, he thought about killing Ruby. He wanted her dead. Dead, dead, dead. He'd like to do to her what she did to Neo. And yet, he knew exactly what Red had reminded him of. Why he seemed to care for her so, despite his hatred. Why everything was so convoluted and psychotic between them.

She reminded him of himself, long ago. He and Neo were two against the world. But then he'd learned the truth. That the world was an unforgiving place. And now, he was worse than he had been before. He was out of cigars, out of dust, out of ammo, and out of luck.

He smirked.

He wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot. Roman Torchwick would _not_ go down that easily.

No, there was still work to be done, and Roman knew it. He had people to kill. Salem had brought him here for a reason. But what she didn't know was that he was on his own side. A wild card, so to speak. He was going to find Neo. He was going to kill Cinder. And most importantly… he was going to track down Red. She was his.

He hummed a tune to himself, examining the scars that arrived every day. They bled a black ooze. It spread around him. He knew what it was. He had seen the creations of darkness. He knew how crucial this was.

He sighed, and fell back to the ground. He wanted Red dead. He wanted to kill her. But he couldn't figure out why he had never done it. He had killed before. It was easy. He had killed plenty. Of course, those airships had housed large crews. And how many did he kill with the attacks on Vale?

He didn't regret it. He couldn't. If he regretted it, he'd lose it. He'd go mad. He would become just like every other lunatic. He'd be gibbering and laughing. Of course, that was if he stayed human. If this blackness came over him, he would be done worrying.

God, how he wanted to burn them all. He was a pyromaniac, or so they said. He liked watching things burn, _people_ burn. He was never the kind of guy you could trust. That was his charm, the fact that you could never tell whether he wanted to kiss you or kill you. In the case of Red, he couldn't decide.

He liked her. Not in a romantic way. In an odd way. He thought of her as a kid. The kind of kid that would have to be told that they couldn't save the world. And she hadn't accepted it. "Bet on that," he whispered. "Bet on that. Bet on that." The kid. Didn't she know there were some bets you didn't take?

Of course, the cat girl. _Her,_ he liked. And the blonde. Hadn't he seen her at a bar somewhere? And, of course, the heiress. She was a good one. Hid her feelings. Kinda like him, actually. Except she didn't know what it was like to kill. To feel so sick like that.

He did. He did feel sick. That was the truth. Every time he killed. He could feel some part of himself crying. But he'd locked it away. He was beyond redemption. They had left him behind. All of them. A professional. And they'd just let him go! He had been loyal, he had been servile.

Well, he was done being servile. In this world, it was kill or be killed. And he was going to get out of here. He was going to kill Cinder. He was going to break out, man or Grimm. And he would make them all pay.

Bet on that.


	2. Chapter 2

He struggled against the chains. He tried. He desperately tried. Nothing was of any use. He wanted out. He swung, and kicked, and tried to push them off. There was nothing he could do. He wanted to get out of the chains, but he was still tied down to a rock somewhere. He sighed. He rubbed across the gaping black wound, and the black liquid came close to his face. He growled, and tried to crawl, not managing it.

Red would have gotten out of this no problem. She would have somehow managed to get out. Somehow. The little brat _was_ resourceful. He knew that. She had her Semblance, her scythe. Huh. It was also a gun. Not too unlike his cane. Except his cane happened to be gone, and his Semblance wouldn't do him any good. He rolled his eyes.

Melodic Cudgel was nowhere to be found at the moment. It was destroyed, he figured. After all, it had probably blown with the rest of that Gryffon. He should have been dead now, but he had only taken two hits. That was fortunate. If Red had hit him even one more time, he wouldn't have lived through it.

His hat, of course, was also likely destroyed. Which was a shame. He really liked that hat. He didn't really feel like it was worth it, to struggle anymore. He wanted to give up. To just sit down, and die. But he couldn't. Not now. Not while Red was still alive. Not while she was just walking along after what she'd done. Hell, he imagined that right now, she was strolling along. After what she'd done to him, to Neo. He was bad, sure, but when he murdered someone, he at least cared.

Roman hit the ground in frustration. Someone was walking by, though. He heard mad laughter, cackling. "Tell me…" the mysterious figure said, pacing. "Why are you so angry?"

Roman was confused for a second, but answered nonetheless. "A brat. A brat who took everything from me. A reason I'm here." The figure chuckled. "Funny. A brat I've dealt with recently did the same. She took from me my stinger, my role in this organization…"

Roman grinned. Sounded like Red. "Mine wore black and red. Perky little thing. Shame I didn't get to deal with her. I would have had fun." The figure leaned a golden eye into Roman's, which caused the hardened criminal to jump. "Black and red…" there was another cackle. The figure grabbed Roman's hand. "Sounds _exactly_ like the girl that I dealt with." Roman smiled. He knew it. This guy had tangled with Red, and lived to tell the tale.

"Mine's name was Miss Ruby Ro-"

Cackling. Ominous cackling. Roman struggled to back away now, as the figure started crying. "Ruby… _Rose?"_ He continued crying, but couldn't stop laughing. Roman tried to avoid him, for fear this man could go berserk anytime.

Despite that, Tyrian calmly stopped at once, widening his eyes. "My name is Tyrian. And I think we're going to be… good friends when you get out of there." Tyrian spotted the dark wound. "Oh…" Tyrian spoke no more, and left. Roman slumped over. His only chance at escape just walked away. He would have killed the man, of course.

He would have killed him, taken his weapons, and killed them all. But to strangle him, he needed to have his chains removed. He slumped down, and shed some tears. Eventually, he burst into tears. He was never getting out of here. He was going to turn into one of those monsters… a creature of Grimm. Just another mindless puppet.

No. He refused.

He wouldn't.

As he cried, he stood up, and pulled. No sleight of hand. No tricks. He just pulled. He tried to remove the chains from the stone. They would be sufficient weaponry. It seemed he would be successful, when he felt a hand touch his chin, and a charming hoarse, barely-prsent voice whisper into his ear.

"Trying to get out, Torchwick? Even if you did, you would just-"

"I know exactly how I'm going to go, Cinder. It is _not like this._ "

Cinder smacked him across the jaw, and he ignored it. "Cinder… you and I could have gotten along. But I'm no thug that you just hire for your amusement. I'm not dumb muscle. I'm the best schemer in your entire little clique." He pulled more. Cinder backed away. The green-haired one, Emerald, and the silver one, Mercury, entered.

"If Salem didn't want you alive…" Roman smiled. So the lady in charge did want him alive. Roman turned to Emerald, who had spoken the words. "Then what? You'd kill me? Go ahead. I dare you. Shoot me. Put me down, like a dog. I dare you to try. I bet you don't have the guts, Emerald."

Roman psychotically smirked, and pulled more. Mercury grabbed him by the neck. "Do _not_ talk down to us, old man!" Roman spit at him. "I knew your dad. He was a real piece of work, Black. I should have raised you. You'd at least know to respect your elders." Mercury readied a kick, and Cinder reached to stop him, but it was too late. Roman grabbed Mercury's leg, and plucked out a knife from his boot, and stabbed Mercury with it. Emerald grabbed a gun, and aimed it into his gut.

Roman felt the gun preparing to fire. Mercury was wallowing on the ground, where he belonged. He had proven exactly what he wanted. Now, he didn't care about being shot. He didn't give a care to what she tried now. If she shot him, so be it. Better than being stuck here.

Cinder stopped her from firing. Roman sighed, and slumped back down. "Look at how pathetic you are, Roman." She sheathed her guns. "You're one to talk, you little lapdog. Obeying her beck and call. Why don't you blow her brains out? You could. Pull the trigger when she doesn't have her Aura up? Just kill her."

Emerald seemed to be resisting, but Roman had spent years as a con man slash thief slash hitman slash probably a few other million crimes. He knew that Emerald was genuinely questioning her loyalty. "And you. Cinder Fall. You were working so hard to get more power. You had ambition, but you were bested by a brat with silver eyes. I can imagine it now. You had the powers of a _god_ , and she trashed you anyways. Babe, _I_ managed to beat Red, and I'd been in prison for months!"

Cinder unveiled her bow, and gritted her teeth. Roman hid it well, but he was horrified by the prospect of death. He turned to Emerald. "Well? You gonna keep being Cinder's _pet?_ " He grinned. "Or are you going to finally grow up? And you, Cinder…" he sharpened his eyes into slits. "You're going to keep this little facade up… aren't you?"

She lowered the bow, and began to drag Mercury across the landscape. Roman yelled after them, "Green! You're still a pet, and nothing but that! Come to me when you want to be _more_!" He slammed his fists onto the ground. The poor girl frustrated him to no end. She should have become more. And now he wasn't getting out. Not now. Not ever.

In frustration, he slumped down, and rubbed sweat off his forehead. He smirked sarcastically. Emerald was nothing if not obedient. But that would change. She was a thief, like him.

Meanwhile, Red was still out there, refusing to acknowledge that she had ever killed him, ever killed Neo. His survival didn't matter. But if Neo turned out to be dead, he would strangle the girl. He knew it. Everyone knew it. He realized that the dark ooze was moving faster.

"Darker." He figured it out. Hatred would make it worse. Grimm were attracted to negativity. And Roman was a brewing ground for negative emotion. A cauldron of cynicism, one with more purple prose would say. But Roman knew exactly what would happen. There was no hope, no victory. Which was why he grinned.

Because he knew that those were the odds of his survival. He had broken those odds. He was a gambling man, sure. But now he knew that he would take all bets. After all, when there's no hope, there's nothing to lose and everything to gain. And he would start by gaining Emerald Sustrai.

Bet on that.


	3. Chapter 3

_Neo!_

He gasped as he woke up, as if he had been screaming her name at the top of his lungs. Neo, the only person he had ever cared for in his life. And, so far as she knew, he was dead. And for all he knew, so was she. It was brutal.

He sighed out, remembering his longing for a cigar in his mouth. He hadn't enjoyed being a smoker, but he'd started at a young age, and he had stayed that way for years. He didn't like it one bit, being addicted to a chemical, but he had never really tried to kick the habit.

Of course, he'd never really "tried" to do anything. He was, at his core, a gambler, and gamblers took bets. And when it came to betting, Mr. Torchwick was one of the best. He had made one mistake though. He hadn't seen that Cinder and Salem would betray him like this. He should have. He knew people. They were evil. This was what his kind did.

He hadn't "tried" to be a good guy. He hadn't "tried" to save Neo. He hadn't "tried" to talk Red over to his side. He didn't try. He did. He took a chance, rolled the dice, and hoped for the right outcome. He had always rolled the right number, until that day.

 _They_ were to blame. The schools, the military, the people in power. They'd done this to people like him. They'd done so much, sometimes it seemed like they just wanted to spite him. But then again, he _was_ a master criminal, so it was somewhat deserved.

He was taken out of his pontification (Or whining, dependent on who you ask) by the distinctive voice of the green-haired girl he planned to pull the strings of soon. She was talking to Mercury, telling him to buzz off. Roman looked up, and sure enough, the two were arguing.

"Hey, Merc. How do you feel? I mean, are you okay? I sure hope not."

Emerald stifled a chuckle, and Roman was bewildered. He wasn't even being particularly funny. This was just expressing how he felt on the topic of Mercury. Maybe, _maybe,_ deep down inside him, Roman saw Mercury as some sort of bratty son… but otherwise, the boy just annoyed him, with his cocky attitude and constant hatred.

Actually, he knew he wasn't describing his hatred of Mercury anymore. He was describing his hatred of himself. And the two were similar, as much as he hated to admit it. Roman Torchwick, Mercury Black. Roman knew Mercury's dad. He had _hated_ Marcus with a passion. The man had abused his kid. Liked to take his work home with him, it seemed.

In an odd way, he was proud of Mercury for what he had done. He had not only stood up to his father, he had _killed_ him. It fit beautifully with Roman's mentality. The strong would destroy the weak, but in this case, the weak had decided to try and destroy the strong, and Mercury had killed his father. Really, it clicked perfectly.

After Mercury finally went away, Roman started thinking straight. His deterioration had continued. He could feel his veins brimming with black, to put it in a melodramatic phrase. He knew that whatever was going to happen, he couldn't delay it, or stop it. He could only make someone carry on his legacy.

"Emerald."

"Torchwick."

This was the lapdog. Not even allowed to change clothes without Cinder's involvement, he imagined. It was disgusting. He didn't know much about the poor girl, but he felt sorry for her. He had sworn years ago that he would never take a master, that he would never be dominated like that.

"What you said yesterday, about Cinder and I…"

"Oh, Green. Give it up. It's not like you can change."

Emerald grabbed her gun. Roman grinned.

"Yes, yes, _yes!_ Cinder and Salem don't want me dead. Go ahead, defy them. Blow my head off. My Aura's gone. Aura takes a soul. As you can tell, I don't have one. At least, not anymore. Go ahead! Kill me! Fire that gun, right in between my eyes! Go against them! Or are you planning to be Cinder Fall's little slave for the rest of your life, Emerald? Shoot me! You know you want to. End me now!"

Emerald had it to his forehead in seconds, as he smiled psychotically. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for. The one where he made another him. Another lawless, chaotic, murderous freak. One without gods, without masters. Another person who would follow in his footsteps. He would make his own successor.

She lowered the gun almost instantly, grabbing her wrist.

"Emerald, you just can't seem to get past that hold she has on you. What did she do to you?"

Emerald sat down, and Roman slumped down next to her.

"She made me feel like I was something. I was just a street rat, a thief. She made me feel like I was part of something, something valuable."

"But now?"

"But now, it's almost sad. I watch people die, it's my life. And she treats me like _dirt!_ She treats me like a slave, a common servant. And then, she just keeps me as her dog, barking whenever it's needed."

"Have I ever told you why I sent that ticket to Tukson?"

"Who?"

"Tukson, that ex-White Fang member that you and Mercury butchered in his shop. Good times."

"You never told me why."

"The reason why is because I didn't want someone like him to die. He had chosena life like ours, and he'd had it in him to get out. And instead of killing him, I tried to save his life. But then, you two took it into your own hands to off the poor schmuck."

Roman drew something in the sand. At first, it seemed to be a couple lines, but it evolved into a fully-shaped pumpkin head, the mark of Roman Torchwick, master criminal.

"This symbol is based on the Will-O-The-Wisp. It's a Grimm that doesn't actually exist, but it's a fairy tale. It was known for luring travelers into the fog and killing them. Think about my MO."

"You convince people to go along with your schemes, then use them as cannon fodder."

"Precisely. I lure travelers into the fog, and…"

He snapped his fingers, representing what he did to people. "I kill people. I'm a hired gun. A mercenary. But I'm also the best at making people do what I want. At tricking people."

Emerald stood up, angry. "For a second there, I thought you cared!" Roman fell back in surprise. "For a second, I thought you weren't just tricking me! But now I see. You wanted me to do what you wanted!" Roman grasped for her leg, but she kicked him in the jaw. Not entirely undeserved.

"Emerald, wait!" She didn't. He flew into a fit of anger. "You can't run back to her forever, Emerald! You can't always be her pet! Come back when you want a real life! When you want something worth fighting for."

She whirled around, and pointed her gun at his head. "And what is that?" Roman tried to crawl out of his chains. He looked into her eyes, seeming desperate. She scoffed and turned around. "Yourself!" he yelled after her. She still had her gun trained on him. He knew that any second, she could blast him. He awaited the gunshot, but, to his disappointment, she didn't fire.

He slumped right back down, examining the tattoo of his own emblem on his chest, as the dark ooze seeped into it. He grabbed himself by the neck, and struggled to lift his chained hands now. It seemed Emerald had taken more out of him than he had expected.

He heard footsteps, and opened his eyes, hoping that Emerald was back. Unfortunately, it was just the grey-haired kid. "You," he muttered. "You piece of-" Roman shut him up with a well-timed shush, and then pointed at his shoulder. "You don't impress me, Black. Although, if I had a bratty, half-son…" Mercury kicked him in the face.

He deserved it. That was his thought as the blow connected. He deserved anything that the kid would dish out on him. He knew that for all the pain he endured, he'd caused families to have to lose their children, for mommies to tell their kids that daddy was never coming home. He didn't regret it. He would not kneel to redemption.

Mercury slammed him with several more blows. Roman struggled against them, but they both knew it was useless. "Marcus…" he said. That was who he saw. Not the egotistical, skilled Mercury. The torture technician. He was seeing Mercury's father in his place, slamming away on a helpless person. Roman was compelled to anger at this, and he grabbed Mercury's next punch. Mercury tried to kick him, but Roman performed a sharp stomp on his leg, preventing it.

"Marcus," he said. Mercury threw another punch. "Don't! Ever! Mention! My! Father!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to wail into the criminal. Roman breathed a heavy breath, one that hinted at a lack of oxygen behind it. He then let Mercury's limbs go.

"You're a lot more like your old man than you think, Mercury," he said, barely managing to keep a facade of calmness up. Mercury grabbed a knife from his back. "Do you recognize this?" Roman shook his head. "This was my dad's knife. Every day, he came home, and he gave me another scar. Said he was toughening me up. Said he was making me strong. Well, he was right."

Roman felt like applauding. The abused son had fought back. He needed no help. But despite his desire to commend the poor kid, he was still moments away from being on the receiving end of a beatdown from him.

"Mercury Black!" he said out loud. "You may be a Black, but you are _not_ your father. You gonna be just like him? Or are you gonna back off a victim, for the first time in your f-"

Mercury slammed the knife into his neck, cutting him off quickly as he spoke. Roman tried to croak out more words, but failed. He reeled back, and tried to move forward, but he could feel the knife being pulled out. He didn't feel like giving a vivid description of the matter, but it was needless to say that he was rather unhappy.

He held his hand to his neck, blood rushing to his fingers, and fell down, his vision blurring. He managed to hiss the word "Please…" as Mercury walked away. He tried to crawl away, and Mercury turned to him, flashing a satisfied, smug grin. "Please…"

It was no use. Roman blacked out on the landscape, the stab wound producing fluid at an alarming rate. Nobody rushed to him. Nobody came to save him. He was bleeding on the ground, and nobody was trying to save him. He could hear words running through his head. _You can't stop them, I can't stop them! Lie! Cheat! Steal!_

He could envision perfectly, he could see the brat who had taken Neo from him. Who had taken his life from him. He just wanted to kill her. To murder her and be done with it. Death took many forms, and for Roman Torchwick, it came in the form of a girl in a combat skirt, wielding a scythe.

A scythe, the weapon of the Grim Reaper. Was this who she was? A Grim Reaper to Roman? If so, it was strangely appropriate how he had nightmares of her every time he closed his eyes. Her calm, silver eyes gleaming as she did brutal, unimaginable things to him. This was how he saw her.

Sometimes he wondered how Ruby Rose really was. And sometimes, he wondered what it would take for him to find Neo again.

Miles away, Neapolitan sat, the tip of her umbrella barely touching the ground. She read a book, adjusting her pink and brown hair as she did so. She shut the book with a slam, and tossed it down on her poor victim, a White Fang Faunus trying to squirm away. She held the umbrella over him, ready to stab into his throat.

She showed the Faunus the photograph of Roman, and the unfortunate schmuck shook his head, and cried that he didn't know the man. Neo's smile faded, and she heard a satisfying thunk as her blade went through him. She raised it up to her mouth, calmly cleaning the tip in just the proper way, so as to avoid damaging her tongue.

She walked out from inside the finely-made circle of bodies of his comrades, her book left behind her, covered in specks of red. She was going to find Torchwick, no matter how many people she had to kill to get to him. This was her goal. Find Roman, finally work together again. She walked through the cavern, and dragged her umbrella along the ground.

She looked at a map, checking out her next target. She was going to check out a ship, where a certain blonde she had fought was. She silently frowned, and looked at a photo of Yang Xiao Long. This time, she wasn't after the Huntress. She was going to track down another passenger, one who knew where Roman was.


	4. Chapter 4

A fog. A light. A man.

Emerald saw Roman wandering through the fog, clutching his cane, a cigar smoking, lighting his position. Emerald seemed to move in slow motion as she rushed after him. He was holding onto his side, as if wounded. He limped, but he was still advancing. The word " _Red_ " went through his lips.

He continued to move, his nails turning black as pitch. Emerald raced toward him, bt he perpetually stepped through the mist, two steps faster than her. He moved forward, never turning back, never noticing Emerald. He never noticed Emerald, who was trying desperately to get to him. She didn't like being this way, being the victim. She had been that way in youth, and she didn't want to be one again.

She followed Roman as the fog got darker and deeper, and he whispered mad ramblings, nobody else nearby to his perception. He still lit the way, showing her where he was. He progressively went further and further into the darkness, seeming to blend with it. His previously white outfit turned a dark shade of gray in the mist, and his cigar was like a lantern.

She could tell this wasn't right. Something was going wrong. She began to run harder, harder than she had ever before, harder than she had ever wanted to, especially for that insolent man. He thought that just because he was the "best criminal in Vale", that he got to talk down to her? She denied even the notion, pinning it on his ego.

And yet, he drew her to him. He continued to move on and on, never stopping. He kept his motion steady, but faltering progressively. He was slowing down. She could tell by the lopsided way his foot moved. He became more reliant on his cane, and he kept going. She looked down at her feet, and noticed gravel on the ground, marking a path. He began to move off of it, walking to the side.

She followed him, despite her urge to stay on the right path. The two were moving through the fog, and she increased her rate of speed. Slowly but surely, a shape formed in the distance. The shape of a dark, twisted version of Beacon. She looked at Roman, but the man she knew was gone. His nails were long and dark, his cigar shone ever brighter, nearly revealing his face. His outfit was torn and pure black.

He finally stopped, dropping his cane and falling to the ground, his cigar falling out of his mouth. Emerald rushed to the location of the light, but didn't see Roman anywhere. She felt a shadow looming behind her.

She whirled around, reaching for her weapons, before realizing she was completely unarmed. The shadow looming over her took a human form, before she saw a pair of bright green eyes, and smoke coming from the creature. It took her several seconds to catch her breath and get a good look. And then she realized it.

It wasn't a creature. Its mad grin, its eyes, its movement patterns. This was Roman Torchwick, as he truly was. She backed away from the monster, and in seconds, it was gone. She kept her caution up, before she could feel something behind her. She turned back around.

There was a spike through her stomach. She couldn't feel the pain, but she could feel the impalement. She grabbed for it, only to find it was gone. She faltered, and fell down, coughing violently as a black substance slowly crawled along her skin. She tried to move. She failed. Roman stood over her.

"Should have taken the safe path, Emerald. Following me..." his arm had shifted into a spike. He seemed to blur. He went from Roman in his normal state, to being torn and bloodied, to the monstrosity that had attacked her. Ultimately, he fell back to the normal state, no more spike, his arm simply being itself.

He grabbed her by the chin, and stared into her very soul through her eyes, smirking a psychotic smile. "Following me is a path of no return." And then he closed his fist, and it was over.

Emerald was awake in her bed. She was in a cold sweat, feeling a sense of fear. A sense of fear she'd never felt since her origins as a street rat. She flashed back, holding her head, desperately trying to escape the menacing image of Roman as he was now.

She leaped from her bed, checking for her weaponry, the sweat still running down her face. She grabbed her two guns, and mimed training them on a foe, before placing them back in their holsters. She couldn't comprehend it. She couldn't understand why she felt this way about the piece of scum, about Roman Torchwick, an immature bully. Just as smug as Mercury, with half the skill and no weapon. She didn't think-

 _Don't think. Obey._ Cinder's words rang through her ears, reflecting through her, ricocheting across her mind. She set her guns down, and landed obediently on the floor, experiencing peace and quiet.

* * *

Quiet was a good way to describe Roman right now, as well, albeit with less of the peaceful aspect. He was struggling, trying to escape despite the neck wound, forcing him down. He growled slightly, but he was wasting his breath. He felt the blood oozing out his neck, and he coughed up yet more. He rolled around the ground, before accepting his fate.

Fortunately for him, Neo seemed to have no intentions of it. His chains were slashed in seconds, and a familiar pink dress floated down to him, the owner of it attaching several bandages to his neck. "Hey, doll. Hell of a long time since you last fixed me up." Neo nodded, and Roman rose up, flexing his knuckles. He was finally back.

He could hear Grimm howling, and he could see smoke rising. He had never been more in tune with the world. He twirled experimentally, only to find himself off-balance. Neo caught him. He chuckled. "Neo… not walking for a bit does that to you. Be a dear, and help me out." He limped along, Neo holding him on her shoulder, carrying him along.

A Grimm tried to jump the two, but Neo countered in seconds, obliterating it, and slammed her blade into the ground. The two began to wander out, and another monster was onto them by that point. This monster wasn't Grimm, this monster was a man. He was missing his greatest attribute, but he certainly wasn't going to let that stop him.

Neo could feel his presence, and she whirled around, blocking his blow. "Die!" she heard Tyrian say as he laughed giddily. "Neo…" Roman ordered, and she clung to him tighter. "Sweetheart… do me a favor and ice this clown!"

Neo dropped Roman, and opened up her umbrella, knocking his blows away. He didn't stand a chance when she parried his next move, and she caught him from behind, evening the odds made by his height advantage. "Little girl, I operate on a scale far beyond whatever you-" Neo had him pinned before he could finish. Neo went for his chest, but didn't manage to strike the blow.

"Well, well, well." Another male voice came out of the shadows, this one not maniacal and evil, but smug and cocky. "Seems you lived through that, old man!" Mercury Black was here, and Roman was, needless to say, rather unhappy. He limped along the ground, grabbing a nearby stick to use as his cane.

"Listen, you snide kid!" Roman said, sliding along the ground, trying to move as fast as possible away. "Neo is right in there, fighting! And you? You just tried to murder a helpless man! Can't imagine Salem was happy with that!" Roman's stick broke, and he toppled. He clutched his injuries, trying to crawl along. Mercury grabbed his jaw, and held it.

Roman gazed at Neo, who was pinned down by the psychotic. She had killed plenty, and her father had always been proud of her. And then, he thought he'd lost her. He'd thought she was gone. And now, she had returned, and he was seconds away from losing her again. He wouldn't let it happen. This would stop. He could feel darkness rushing to his head, infecting him, ripping through any thought of mercy.

He was _not_ going to watch Neo die again!

He rose off the ground easily, nonchalantly dodging Mercury's next blow. He grabbed the boy, and tossed him down ruthlessly. "Teenagers with attitude aren't a fair fight against a master criminal, kid!" He ignored Mercury, and snapped back around to Tyrian, who was ruthlessly slamming his blades onto the ground around Neo.

"Listen up, jester! Yeah, you! You psychopath! You Faunus… more animal than man. This just proves it." Tyrian widened his eyes, and Neo crawled out from under the older man. "You psycho… stay the hell away from _my daughter!_ " Roman could feel his reflexes returning, his power forming back into him. The broken man was gone, and Roman Torchwick was back.

But what was the price? After all, he had felt some evil force overtaking him moments before. And now, he was coming back in full force. It couldn't be a coincidence. His emotions of vengeance, his desire to kill… they were ever so increased.

Roman's torn outfit unveiled a more powerful form, black veins pulsing. Roman drew his emblem on the ground again. "Roman…" Mercury rushed at Roman, who countered easily, and tossed him down. Roman took the opportunity to pilfer a canister of Dust from the boy. "Last chance, Black." Roman kicked him away.

As he had expected, the canister was filled with Flame Dust. He tossed it down, it spreading into his emblem, lighting a flame. Tyrian was distracted, and Neo had escaped his view. Torchwick walked forward unstoppably, heading right through his flaming emblem. "...I'm not much of a praying man, but I'd repent right now if I were you."

He continued to walk, flames licking at his heels. He shed his top, leaving only a scarred, damaged man visible, his solid abdomen lit up by the fire. He cracked his knuckles, and Tyrian readied himself. "I'd ready yourself, Mr. Torchwick!" Tyrian yelled madly, laughing now.

"You don't have your tail anymore. You're down an appendage, and I… well, I have all of my limbs!" Roman kicked up the ash of the ground as he walked, leaving a cloud behind him. He cemented his beginning by pointing at Mercury on the ground, who was struggling to stand. "I think you'll find me a more fearsome opponent than Mercury Black!"

" _I_ won't find you anything. _We_ will. Neo!" His daughter stood by his side in an instant. "Let's kill him!"

Tyrian, however, was quicker on the figurative draw than Neo was on her literal one. While she fired a bullet, Tyrian had already analyzed the entire battlefield, and in a flash, she was unconscious. Roman grabbed at her, only to feel something rip through him from the shoulder, and grab at his arm, only to find air.

"I'm sorry, that comment about your limbs?" Roman spat back in Tyrian's face, a massive amount of the black gunk trailing behind his saliva. Tyrian wiped it off in disgust. "You Faunus are cheating. Your enhancements, your abilities. You get, what, a tail loaded with poison? I just had my limbs! I've overcome your kind. I've killed hundreds of Faunus! And I didn't even use my Semblance to do it! I did it with a cane and my own two hands."

Roman rose up, despite the lack of his limb. Tyrian laughed and pointed like a schoolboy. A schoolboy with a bad case of Antisocial Personality Disorder, that is. Roman grabbed him by the neck with his other hand. It seemed that, for the first time, he genuinely had the upper hand.

That was short-lived. A streak of green hit him in the small of his back, causing him to collapse on top of the body of Neo, his daughter. Each was barely breathing. Tyrian readied his blade for a finishing strike, and nearly had it lowered, when Emerald parried it. "Salem said not to kill Roman," she said.

* * *

Roman and Neo were now both in chains, across from each other. Of course, Roman, with his newfound developments, was only in need of three chains. He continued to curse Ruby Rose. He had his daughter back, but who knew for how long? The influence of the black substance was progressing further and faster, and he was closer to becoming a creature of Grimm. He could feel the rumblings of a snarl nearly emerging.

He had come so much farther, only to be stopped by the girl in green, Emerald. Upon the thought of the skilled girl, he flickered his eyes to Neo, who was still unconscious, and looked down, an image of her rippling through his head. She was able to take him down, and did it with undying loyalty, but she was beginning to question it.

She was his little experiment, to describe it in clinical terms. An aspect of the human mind he'd yet to explore. She was a street rat, whose only real drive was to feel, yet she worked with the coldest, most callous person possible. How very, very unfortunate. How very, very interesting.

How very, very _alluring._

Now, he wouldn't say he was genuinely attracted to the poor girl. No, he had far better taste than her. Yet, there was some confusion. He could have had any girl in Vale, if he'd felt like it. He could probably even get his hands on the cat girl, if he had wanted. So why was he after the only one that he couldn't get?

Ah, forbidden fruit. How delectable.


	5. Chapter 5

The cigar lit up again, as Roman barely managed to keep the flame going. He limped along. He didn't know why he was limping. Why would he limp? He didn't feel pain. He didn't feel a single injury. And yet, he felt weight. Something keeping him from moving. Something keeping him from walking forward in anything faster than a simple limp.

He was forced to use his cane, to move slowly along the surface. He looked around his body, feeling for scars. His shirt was tattered, damaged, and he had no hat. He kept on his cane for support.

"-Roman-" he heard in the distance behind him. He turned around. Nothing. He could hear it, distinct amongst the white noise of the mist. He kept moving, his cane thumping into the ground, raising ash and magma everywhere he walked. He tried to keep going, but could sense himself faltering. "-Roman!-" he heard the voice cry again. He whirled back to the direction of the voice, this time seeing two eyes shining out from the mist.

"Roman!" He began to walk towards the voice, but it seemed to change position no matter what. He moved slowly but surely, always diverting himself to the direction of the voice, the eyes constantly shining out from the grey. He grabbed a handful of the magma on the tip of his cane, using it to light the way as his cigar burned out, and he spit it onto the ground, ash spiking up.

And everything shifted.

He was in a ballroom now, dancing with Emerald, each of them wearing fancy clothing. An audience behind them clapped and cheered soullessly, desiring tension that wasn't there. Each had a sense of regality about them, each their own royal. The music playing was soft and gentle, and the audience's dead eyes seemed to be eternally on them. Emerald moved in calm sways, in a way that didn't befit a street rat like her.

It sickened him. The idea of pretending to be what you weren't. The world behind them shifted back to the gutters and alleys of Vale's cities, a more urban setting for two urban people. Roman clutched the green-haired girl tightly, and their movements became more erratic, less lovely, but somehow more intriguing. The audience was nonexistent now, and it was raining outside, ruining each of their classy outfits. Roman removed his coat, and draped it over Emerald, as they walked into a nearby house. A cliche way to end a lovely dream.

A shame it wasn't over. After all, the two of them continued into the building, and the location shifted in a gust of wind, and suddenly, Roman could feel the weight of his arm lift completely. At first, he was thankful, before he turned back, seeing that the arm was gone entirely, leaving only a stump remaining. He sat down, back in the ash, and he sobbed. He sobbed, crying his eyes out. He sobbed so hard he never opened his eyes, and never noticed that the tears were black.

He had nothing. He had no one. He'd cast everyone away from himself, and tossed himself straight into the line of fire, hoping he wouldn't get shot. But he had. More times than he could count. He saw hundreds of faces in the ash, each screaming for their life. Each of them, he remembered. Each of them, he had killed. He had tormented some, some had died screaming. Some, he never even met. Some, his actions killed. Victims of circumstance.

Roman felt the ash coalescing around him, concealing him, wrapping around him in arms. He accepted his fate, embracing the smoking arms, and the magma rising up to take him under, his victims screaming, and he knew that this was karma. They had their revenge. He raised his remaining hand, and the ash began to form around him. The ash made itself into a new structure, a new arm on the stump, and some formed into the shape of Ruby Rose, shifting around, transferring its own figure.

"Not." It changed to Mercury, then Blake, then Cinder.

"Yet."

He felt his body surging in an angelic position, an earthen arm rather than a stump, and he landed, knees first, clutching his cane once again, his suit repaired by the ash, and himself feeling infinitely powerful. But it was not to last. He could feel something was missing. He knew that with revenge, nothing lasted forever. And he couldn't last forever with Emerald if he desired vengeance.

He fell back down, the ash dissipating, him missing everything again. He felt himself trying to walk away, only to be stopped, grabbing his cane, only to find it was gone. He fell down, trying to work himself forward, but it was long too late by that point. He was sprawled out on the ash, heat rising up, and his clothing was once again torn. He began to bleed out of the missing arm, black ooze falling onto the ground. He grabbed the stump, trying to prevent the blood, but he found his vision blurring out, and he was buried in the ground, hot magma covering him. But he felt nothing as he burned, oddly content and graceful as what remained of the broken man drifted away in a sea of loathing.

He woke to Neo silently staring at him, as she always did, and he sighed. "Again and again, Neo. You shouldn't have come here." She tilted her head quizzically. "You're a smart girl, Neo. You had a life to live. The military's not gonna look for you, not after the hell we raised at Beacon. They've got bigger fish to fry. You could have retired. You could have just left."

He slumped down, the chains wrapping around his face as he felt his remaining arm lowering onto him. "Neo… you ever wondered the reason I named you Neapolitan, after your mother left? She, she and I… we… uh… we met at an ice cream place. We both ordered Neapolitan. She was a lot like me. She went to Beacon too."

He began to drift back to the dance at Beacon, he remembered her swaying in his arms as he let her hands lower down her back. "The dance… she was pretty eager for a first kiss. And kissing led to us heading to the roof. And on the roof… well," he awkwardly stumbled over his words in a rather fatherly fashion. "We, uh, we went a bit further than kissing that night. And, a week later, she found out about you. We tried to keep it going. But I was a stupid kid. Too idealistic to face the truth. Too happy to process that I'd done something wrong. And, well, uh, Neo… I forced myself to marry her. And then… she had you. It all seemed right. My baby girl. I was close to being a full-fledged Huntsman."

He sighed and lifted his shoulders. "I was willing to keep you. She wasn't. I ended up ditching Beacon to care for you, and ditching her with it. My upbringing left me with hardly a penny, carrying a child in an alley, hoping that nothing would go wrong. And something did."

He flickered back momentarily, barely comprehending how numb his arm's stump was. "I was so filled with rage, with hatred, with sadness. You were the only light in my life, and you were so small. How the hell was I going to care for you? I couldn't take it. I thought about ending my own life, but I couldn't. Because you… who would care for you if I was gone?"

"And then, a chance came. A store robber walked in, he, he was holding up a shop that had connections to the local mob. I could have just knocked him out, but I was mad. You were a little girl by then. And you saw your dad, as he, he walked straight into the store, and he grabbed his gun right out of his hands, and blew his brains out. I was covered in dirt, sweat, and now, blood."

He could barely take it. "Unfortunately, that mob saw fit to hire me. And that was when I knew that I was going to go up in the world. I kept doing small favors, and one by one, the guys above me kept 'coincidentally' falling out of favor with the bosses. And you were there the whole time, staying in their hideouts while daddy killed people."

Several pairs of footsteps were behind him, walking closer and closer. He didn't care. He rattled his chains slightly.

"You grew into a teenage girl, and I left you with dangerous men as I went out to kill innocents. And that was when I came home. I saw the boss grabbing you, trying to pin you against a wall. I grabbed him. I told you to run. You didn't. You just watched as I butchered him. As I did what I did best. You just stood there as I killed him. And watched as I enjoyed it. And afterwards, you smiled. Not a cute smile. A psychotic one. And then I realized… you took a lot from me."

"That was when my eyes went blank. When I started to become the man you see now. Of course, I had an extra arm back then. The boss was gone. I took over. I started to train you. And before long, we were the best duo in Vale. And then, I went a little overboard one day. I'm talking, car bombs and destroyed buildings overboard. I went, that day, from a gang boss to a terrorist. And that caught attention."

"Your Semblance… you got it from your mother. One of the few genetic Semblances. It made us quite the asset when it came time to join Cinder's operation. But I didn't want in. And then… one day, you stopped talking. And I realized… Cinder Fall was more dangerous than I'd ever thought. I joined her. And then… I ended up being the most terrifying thing in Vale."

The footsteps came to a halt. A chalk-white woman in a black dress stood in front of them, black veins pulsing and red eyes glowing, with several of her cohorts gathering behind her, including Emerald, who was looking sadly at the ground.

"Hello, Mister Torchwick." She seemed to carry an air of royalty, like Cinder. Except Cinder's was false. This woman was true to her intentions. "I hear you've tried to escape. You actually got rather far, with the help of your…" her eyes jumped to Neo. "...daughter. I must say, she is a pretty little thing. Gets that from you, I imagine." The woman's eyes seemed to trace a picture of Roman. "Save it, honey. With the goth look and the dress, you're drop-dead gorgeous, I'll give you that. But seduction is the card of one of your lackeys."

Roman was willing to admit that this woman was quite attractive, despite her oddities, such as appearing to be partially Grimm. However, he was quite aware that with the way the world was for people like him, there was no way playing along would assist him.

"Alright, Roman. Let's talk."

"About what, exactly?"

"Well, you seem skilled. You and Neapolitan here have managed to do some serious damage, both to Vale, and to Mercury. He's currently recuperating."

"Listen, you're going to have to give me your name before I'd have anything to do with you."

"Very well. My name is Salem. And I'd like to propose an alliance."

Roman looked to Emerald, who was clearly uncomfortable. She was shuffling her feet, and trying to avoid looking Roman in the eye.

"These people, they are quite… unreasonable to work with, Roman. They're rude. Some of them are horrid people in general. And you… your little tale you just regaled us with demonstrates how valuable you are, although not loyal, I'll admit."

"So, you want to work with me, huh?"

Salem looked at Emerald, Cinder, and Tyrian, all three of whom didn't dare to look back.

"These three are valuable. However, I could use a replacement for Mercury and Emerald, and who better than the only two better at their jobs than them?"

Emerald was startled, and Cinder grabbed her by the throat, a fireball in her hand. Salem was calm during all of this. Roman reeled forward against the chains, and Neo, seeing her father in that situation, attempted a variety of chain-breaking maneuvers.

"Please… Cinder…" Emerald was struggling to escape the grasp of the woman in red. Roman ceased his struggle, and then sat back, laughing. Emerald looked at him in horror. "You can do whatever you want." Salem raised an eyebrow.

"Really, now? So you do not care for this girl in any way? Good, as I was going to eliminate her no matter your feelings on the matter."

Roman's eyes widened, and Emerald desperately begged him, barely moving her mouth as Cinder's hand came closer to torturously scorching her face until she was burned to death.

"Please…"

Roman finally broke. "Wait!" he exclaimed. "I have terms!"

Salem looked at him, intrigued. "So, I was correct in my assumption. You do indeed care for Emerald. Cinder, don't hurt her. Yet. Now, let's negotiate."

"First off, Neo and I work together. That's our main condition. But next off, Emerald is _mine_." She looked at him, pleading. He snorted. "Fine. Don't kill her friend, either."

"Alright, Mister Torchwick. Now, you'll be no good with only one arm. Oh, and you have limited time to do what I want. Each success, I will push back the Grimm inside you. But every time you fail me, betray me, or breach my terms, it will become faster. And you and your daughter will be locked away together when it does. You two will be starved until she's begging for scraps. And you… your scraps will be right in front of you."

She snapped her fingers, and the chains whirled off them both. "Another arm will be in order, but first… this was recovered from Beacon for me." She tossed him his cane, which he hadn't seen in a good amount of time. "I will acquire a prosthetic for you as soon as possible."

He rose up on the cane, realizing his legs weren't injured. "I will show you to your quarters. Also, here. I have the feeling you'll be wanting these." She tossed him several cigars and a lighter.

"You and your daughter will sleep in separate rooms. You and Emerald will share her previous room. Emerald will be taking Mercury's. Rest assured, his little murder attempt will not go unpunished." She calmly walked away, her hips swaying.

Roman and Emerald were now in their room, and Roman sat down on the bed. Emerald stood in front of him, almost about to scold him. "Well, I'm yours, aren't I? What's your first command?"

Roman sighed, and rubbed his forehead. "You've taken commands all your life, Emerald. From Cinder or her little owner. You need to think for yourself. If I were in your position, I'd have shot me already. Of course, I probably should have shot myself already."

Emerald sat down next to him. "Your first command?" Roman nearly smacked his head on a wall. "Fine, your first command is to tell me exactly how much you hate me. If poetry is involved, I'll be even happier with you."

She stood up, and she slapped him. He grabbed his face where she'd hit him. "Not entirely poetic, but I'm definitely happy with you." He grinned. "Now, I know you can hit harder than that."

Several slaps later, he was rubbing his face. "Alright, Emerald. This conversation is over." He laid down on the bed, and she sat down right next to him.

"You know, you've really taken the whole 'puppet' thing a bit far. Can't move an inch if someone isn't pulling your strings." He looked at her outfit, which bared a lot of her lovely body. "Go… change into something a bit more covering, please. You may be attractive, but I'd prefer you not wear what Cinder forced you to."

She quickly grabbed a jacket out of the closet, and a pair of jeans, before commencing to begin changing. He looked away politely, which they both knew was a facade, pretending not to be a depraved maniac like he truly was. When she was done, she was no longer on full display.

She sat back down and stared into his eyes. It seemed as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't out of fear. "Oh, god. You think I'm going to be worse than Cinder, don't you?" She nodded. He laid back smoothly, and lit up a cigar. "Well, guess what? You're probably damn right. In any other situation, I'd be taking advantage."

She finally let her words spill out. "So why aren't you? What's the purpose of claiming me, if you're not going to…"

He sighed, leaving a puff of smoke in the air, which caused her to cough. He put out the cigar, and tossed it into a glass of water he'd placed there for that specific purpose.

"Honestly, I don't know. It's not like I have a line I'm not willing to cross. I've killed people. But, for you… well, I just wanted you to stop being Cinder's little doll…"

"...and start being yours?" He shook his head. "I just wanted you somewhere that prying eyes couldn't see us. They probably think that I'm forcing you into things you don't deserve. But I'm just trying to make some sense out of all this. Hell, look at me. I'm a twenty-something man in a new suit, short an arm, sitting on a bed with a girl who's around sixteen…"

"Eighteen."

"Whatever. As I was saying, being Cinder's puppet is one thing, but it's something I…"

The door opened, and Emerald pulled Roman into a passionate kiss to cut him off. He took a second, his eyes darting to the door, and he saw a finely-dressed man with a brown mustache walking in, carrying a case.

"Roman Torchwick, I assume? I've heard a lot about you. Public enemy, anarchist, ladykiller. Anyways, I am just here to drop this off. Nice to see we have another man of class in our ranks as of tonight."

He set the case down and walked out, shutting the door behind him. Roman shoved Emerald off. "Your breath stinks," she said. Roman chuckled.

"That guy was a real douchebag. Salem affords us every luxury, and she can't find a man who's not an absolute prick to deliver me my arm."

He grabbed the case off the floor, and attached the arm to his missing area, and then went back, quite calmly, to what had been going on, covering up the arm with a previously-empty sleeve of his suit.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yeah, the whole 'puppet' thing. I'm not really into it, you know? But if it's necessary, I'm gonna play along for now. Alright, your first command is to look away while I change into something that isn't a suit."

She obeyed, and he set himself up in a nice pair of pants, and completely abandoned the idea of wearing a shirt as he sat back down, his abdomen on full display. The horror of his darkened veins was gone, as Salem had promised. Emerald's gaze was distracted by his surprisingly muscled physique for a few moments, then shrugged, as, though she didn't look it, she was just as strong.

"Well, you can keep the bed. I'm going to go over to that chair. Now, I know you. I'm not going to pressure you. I'm going to sit in that chair, and I am going to sleep there. You just sleep on the bed."

She started to say something along the lines of asking him to take the bed, but he cut her off by swiftly stating that it was an order. She removed her jacket, and laid down. He kicked his feet up. And even though Emerald got to sleep quickly and silently, he didn't sleep at all. Not because the chair wasn't nice, because it certainly was, especially compared to the ground he'd slept on for the past couple days. No, it was because after everything, he couldn't sleep.

He gathered his thoughts, and calmly checked his arm out. And then, just to be safe, he looked at his newfound puppet, who was asleep on the bed. She was a beauty, that was a definite fact. And he was certainly a handsome man. He wanted to free her from everything, but when you're a slave long enough, you're not ready for freedom. And she was scared of him. No, she was scared of _freedom._

So, for the time being, he would play along with her desire to be perpetually controlled. He would give her orders, tell her what to do. What he wanted was genuine freedom for her, not some pathetic facade. But that wasn't happening, not yet, not for him.

He felt his eyes lingering on her a bit too long, and diverted his gaze to his prosthetic arm. He groaned, stretched his back, and finally found himself asleep.

And at that moment, Emerald opened her eyes, and found that her false sleep had worked. She knocked on Neo's door, and when Neo opened it, Emerald brought her into Roman's room. They, together, lifted the sleeping crime lord onto Emerald's bed, and Emerald laid back down. The two slept, and Neo exited, softly closing the door, giggling at the situation.

And this time, Emerald and Roman shared a dream.

Roman was holding his breath, wrapped in chains, the victim. Emerald stood over him, holding him by the jaw. For once, there was freedom. She had always equated freedom with chaos, with scrounging on the streets, being a minor pickpocket with extreme skill. She had associated freedom with chaos, and she had associated restraint with order.

The two stared into each other's eyes, and the world morphed all around them. They were in a ballroom, each holding the other tightly. It was at once they knew that the world they had created equally was never going to be one of order, one of kindness. Instead, the world they created together was one of cynicism, of death, of chaos.

"You've always been obedient, Emerald. But that's not what you should be."

There were several swift motions, and a sweep under Emerald's leg later, the two descended, the fancy ballroom shifting to a pub, the clapping royals turning to patrons, their quiet, decadent claps sweeping into a grand chorus of cheers from the people inside. Roman grinned, and slammed his foot down, lifting Emerald up onto one of the tables, before bowing. However, the crowds had no interest in him.

He turned, and whispered a sentence into Emerald's ear.

"They want more of you, Emerald. Not me. Not Cinder. Time to be your own person."

Roman calmly sat down, and Emerald kneeled, but Roman lifted her up. "No need to kneel to them, no need to kneel to me. Kneeling is not what you want to do. You are young. You have many years ahead of you. Can't spend them all on one knee, pandering to the people above you."

The crowds stopped cheering suddenly. The pub turned to blackness, and the two were now armed. Emerald, however, took the initiative, grabbing Roman's wrist.

"We don't attack out of turn, we don't trip over each other. Each of us needs to watch the other's back." Roman nodded, and let loose a grin of psychotic glee. Red eyes began to glow in the blackness surrounding them, and just like that, it was over.

The two awoke, still holding hands. Roman nearly jumped out of his own mind, scrambling to get off the bed. "No, no, no!" he hissed. "What did I do what did I do what did I do-"

Emerald grabbed him by the cheek, and he removed her hand. "Trust me, hon. You don't want to come anywhere near me." He hung his head in shame. Not rage. Not some form of enthusiastic self-mockery. Real, genuine shame. Apparently, he did indeed have the capacity for it, shocking the both of them.

He grabbed his cane.

"I know what you're afraid of. Not disobedience. Not being punished. Being left. You were part of something for so long, and now you obey because you feel like if you don't, you'll be left behind."

Roman turned to her, his eyes rendered dull spheres by his emotionless expression.

"And you're damn right. I'll leave you, Neo, and anyone else it takes to achieve my goal. And just because of you, or Salem, or Cinder, my goal hasn't changed. I am going to kill Ruby Rose, and I am going to do it when I want, how I want. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a woman to confront. Please, stay here."

Emerald grinned smoothly, and Roman looked confused. He wondered what could make her seem so happy.

"Was that an order?" her grin grew wider. Roman composed himself.

"No, you little brat. It was a request."

He slung his cane over his shoulder, and whirled it experimentally. He had a sense of glee, of happiness thanks to his newly-regained weapon. He had wondered for a while where it was. He grabbed a razor and began to shave off the facial hair he'd grown, as there was a new development. Now, he had someone to kill for his vengeance. A bitch in red.

And no, he was not talking about Ruby Rose.


	6. Chapter 6

The white coat flew behind him in the wind as the dust swept past his face. His eyes glowed a firm, bright red and smoke rose above his shoulders, providing a shroud of death around his form. He moved slowly and methodically, with purpose. And he could feel her presence.

"Reaper!" he cried in a solid tone, and out of the ash came Ruby Rose, holding her scythe below her legs, twirling it boldly, dispelling the ash, and Roman slid his cane across the ashen ground, a black ooze sliding around them, and Roman whipped Melodic Cudgel backwards, a firework ejecting from the front, leaving a trail through the massive dust storm. He kept his footing solid and firm, kicking up the ash as he walked calmly through the fire and flames that his shot had created through the ash.

His eyes widened in a striking manner, creating a frenzy. Ruby stayed calm, boldly standing down with her foe.

"You've grown," he said, the cane's grapple extending. "Back then, you'd never be like that. You'd never hold your position.

She simply turned her scythe into the rifle form, and lined up a shot.

"You're supposed to be dead."

"Oh, I know. But as I stated, I am a survivor. Now, enough banter! I've waited a _very_ long time for this!"

Emerald emerged behind him, Neo on his other side. Roman smiled. " _Kill her_." The extent of the smugness in his voice cut the air, creating a ripple effect as he held his cane up, and fired upon his enemy once again. Ruby attempted desperately to land a shot, but the two women on either side of him kept the Scythe-wielder from shooting him. Roman grinned as she flipped over them, and he calmly narrowed his sights on her scope, finally outright grabbing her gun, and tossed her down.

"Sorry, Red. You got spirit, but-"

He jumped back at his own words, and Emerald suddenly woke from her dream, Roman gone. She sighed in discontent. He had left. She didn't worry. Roman was a skilled fighter. Whatever woman he was finding, he-

Oh, shit. She jumped out of the bed, realizing what he had told her the entire time. She grabbed her guns. It was just like him to need saving so soon. She loaded a couple rounds, and began to run, but she was stopped when Dr. Watts arrived at the door. "Ah, yes, you. Where is your master?"

"He, uh, went to talk to Salem".

"Bloody…"

The two crossed each other's paths, and Emerald knocked on Neo's door, before opening it up. "Neo." There was no response. "Neo!" she sharply yelled, and the girl dropped from the ceiling behind her. She jumped back, before realizing what had happened.

"Come on, Neo. Your dad decided to do something really, really stupid."

Meanwhile, in Cinder's room, Roman was lying, back against a shattered mirror, blood splattered all over his longcoat. Cinder stood calmly over him, stepping on his foot, their legs intertwined as he gasped for breath. One could have mistaken it for a romantic scene, were it not for the sheer brutality of it.

She simply dropped the dapper rogue to the floor, not even bothering to hurt him further. He fell right by his cane, and slowly began to move along the floor, several drops of blood. He had not thought this through. Even with Cinder's injuries, the two were far from equal. The Fall Maiden stepped on his neck, forcing him to kneel before her.

Roman simply let himself drop. She rasped out a chuckle. He wanted to get back up, rise, rip her in two. But that would be an emotional response. He would see Vale burn, were it up to him. He simply kneeled, even after she removed her foot. She was calm, collected, a flame wrapping itself around her hand.

Emerald and Neo pulled the door, and Roman turned to them. Cinder's eyes never seemed to flicker from her inferior. Emerald clenched her teeth, and Neo had already released the blade from the tip of her umbrella, but Cinder was uninterested in fighting them. She quickly and nonchalantly disarmed Neo, and grabbed Emerald by the jaw.

"You poor little girl. Forced to obey this liar, this scum of a man." Her vocal cords had clearly recovered somewhat.

"Don't act like you were any different."

Cinder looked down to Roman, who had spoken the words. He rose, wiping the blood off his prosthetic arm.

"I will never do half the things you did to Emerald, Miss Fall. For one thing, your whole 'pledge allegiance to the queen bitch' thing isn't a mentality I get behind. So, Miss Fall, I would advise you step away, or I will give these girls permission to stomp you into the ground."

"I disarmed Neo already. Treacherous fool."

"No, you disarmed an illusion. Neo was behind you this entire time."

Sure enough, as Cinder whirled, Neo dealt a quick strike to her shoulder. Cinder barely had seconds to raise her Aura before Roman grabbed Melodic Cudgel, and used its grapple to pull her down with him. She raised a fireball, which singed his face, and he stared down at her through the light, a madman who seemed as if he'd walked straight from hell itself.

Roman stood, his face still slightly smoldering from the flames which had licked at it. He leaned on his cane.

"How about we clean up, never speak of this. You seem to think you're the queen bitch here. News flash, I am." He paused momentarily."Wait, what?"

Roman stood up, a feeling of calm rippling through his body as he rose from the floor. She was lying down, and he felt no need to help her. She wasn't his problem. Of course, he knew for a fact that if she had continued fighting, they would have been wiped out. But she'd taken the bluff. That was what was important.

Roman stepped out awkwardly, still bleeding, limping on his cane. This seemed to be happening a lot. Still, he had massively overestimated himself. He had figured he could take on the Fall Maiden by himself. He chuckled. What an oversight. He slid back, his jacket sticking to his back with all the blood. There was a grimace on his face, but only momentarily. He had figured that Emerald wouldn't get too emotional if he was bleeding out, but he felt like hiding his pain for an odd reason.

He brushed his hair back, as it had been scattered during the altercation. He licked the blood clean off his lips, the metallic taste dripping back through his mouth. He continued his nonchalant limp, and calmly set his cane down, each movement driving him closer to faltering, each making the chance of fainting on the floor higher.

Emerald could tell that Torchwick was hurt, but she ignored it. She felt no need to patch his wounds. It was clear that Neo could patch him up if it was necessary. Instead, she was pondering the fact that she had just confronted her boss, and not only that, she had conned Cinder. The mastermind had taken the bluff. She could tell that they never would have been capable of defeating Cinder if they had tried. But they had bluffed her out of the idea.

Of course, it was just their luck that the recently-injured Mercury Black would be in a cell as they walked past. He rattled the bars, and leaned to Emerald, covered in shadow. Torchwick turned around, and in his eyes, saw fear. The previously smug, powerful teen had been reduced to nothing but a victim of the closest thing to masters in Remnant. And Roman saw nothing but his eyes.

Suddenly, he jumped out, screaming at the top of his lungs, blood splattered on his face and neck. Tears streamed down from his eyes. He was crying the words, "You don't know!" The same three words, over and over. Emerald recoiled in shock. She'd seen things that had scared her. But Mercury genuinely afraid?

Roman didn't show it, but he could tell something was off. Silently, he walked to the bars. Mercury simply stared into his eyes, repeating the words. There was no more malice. No more hatred towards him. Nothing but fear. There was no remnant of his father's evil. No semblance of his previous attitude. He was just plain broken. Roman took a second, and wondered whether letting him live was saving him or punishing him. What had he done to the kid?

Mercury grabbed his prosthetic arm, pulling at the top-notch piece of equipment desperately. "You don't know!"

Roman shoved him off, expressing no sympathy, if he had any. The slick, suave man couldn't bear watching what he'd done anymore. Watching things burn was one thing, but somehow, this disturbed him. Of all things, seeing Mercury, who had tried to kill a short while ago, brought to tears, practically rabid with fear, was what scared him.

He began to walk away, his longcoat draped over his shoulders. He knew it would only hide his bleeding for so long. Neo was looking for any sign of wound, and Roman knew his daughter would take it upon herself to fix whatever was wrong with her father. That was their way. Utter psychoticism when dealing with anything else, but when it came to each other, they were a father and daughter. Albeit one with mental issues by the dozen, several hundred murders to their name, and a history of terrorism.

God, Roman loved his life choices. I mean, sure, he was currently only in possession of one flesh-and-blood arm, and sure, he was working for a psychotic part-monster woman, but it was _fun._ Say what you would about his life, but it certainly wasn't dull.

Fortune would have it that Emerald interrupted before Neo could find the wound, looking up at the person who was in charge. "What the hell was that?" she asked him.

"What?"

"You looked into his eyes, but you just didn't care. He was hurt! He was crying. Do you know what it must take for him to cry?"

"I know he's undergone a hell of a lot of pain. He's short his legs."

"So, physical torture didn't do much."

"I don't care."

"How? How the hell do you not care?"

"I've got bigger things to worry about than that murderous son of a…"

"Like what?"

"Like how I can get time off from Salem?"

"What would you need that for?"

"Well, not like I've been hoping for revenge on a little girl all this time."

"You really aren't over that."

"How could I be? She nearly killed Neo! For all I know, she did kill me! I don't know what's real anymore. But what I do know is that, real or not, whether this is all some dying dream, or an illusion projected by some kind of hell to gratify me before my torture, Mercury Black is not my concern! Now, Neo, if you would please take Emerald back to her room!"

"Her? I thought it was ours!"

Roman stopped. He faltered. He still thought of it that way. The room was hers, whether he was present in it or not. Everything Emerald had was hers, but she didn't know it. She could only see obedience. It was time to change that. She placed emphasis on loyalty. She may have been evil, just like him, but the difference was that she was noble. Virtuous. He was a scumbag. She… well, the idea of her being a thief was one he found ironic in combination with her qualities.

Nonetheless, Roman was the true criminal of the two. She may have been more skilled, but he had the mentality of one. And he was the one who felt a compulsion to kill on the smallest slight, to beat and brutalize any who got in his way. He sometimes questioned how far he was from the man that had romanced Neo's mother so many years ago. Was he even the same person?

The answer was yes. He was the same person. But this one was sane. Roman wasn't blinded by childish naivete and idealism. Roman saw the world for what it was. Brutal, monstrous. That red brat thought that people were good? She hadn't grown up in the alleys and gutters, being treated like the trash of the city. She hadn't tried to raise a little girl on the streets. She'd never felt "love", and she'd never been burnt!

Roman snapped out of his frenzy, and turned back to Emerald, who was still awaiting his response.

"Your room, Ms. Sustrai. I advise you leave before I try this."

She stood still.

"Emerald, go."

He grabbed his cane, and pressed the tip to her head.

" _Get away from me!_ "

Emerald looked up at the cane aimed straight at her head. She quivered slightly, but nonetheless knew that his threat was empty. As was his cane, seeing as she had unloaded it during the time he was ranting to himself. She felt it was better to be safe than sorry with him.

"Get away."

She calmly grabbed Melodic Cudgel, and began to move it up. Before long, the cane was aiming its shot right above her, and Roman made no movement to stop her. His pupils were shrunken, and his expression was blank. He had no plan anymore. Neo grabbed his side, the bleeding wound uncovered. Emerald grabbed his cane, and tossed it to the floor. Roman simply slumped back, and grabbed his lighter, lighting up a cigar.

"Going to visit Salem, Torchwick?"

Roman began to shake off the effects of his moment. He quickly backed away from the other three. Roman grabbed Melodic Cudgel, and he snapped out of the breakdown almost immediately. He kept his cane angled backwards.

"Yes, I was."

"How intriguing. Considering your apprentice and lover here seems to think you just did."

"Oh… we're not lovers…"

Watts simply stared at him.

Roman set Melodic Cudgel's tip down, and leaned on it as an actual cane. Watts immediately took notice of the damage on his side.

"Oh, my apologies for Emerald's mistake. Whoever you are…"

"Doctor Watts."

"Right. Well, I was actually going to discuss something with, uh, with Cinder."

"Right, which is the cause of your injury."

"It was a very… _enthusiastic_ discussion."

"Right. Well, who am I to judge? Well, I think you ought to know that Salem's calling us in. Emerald's going to need to speak for Cinder. She's healed somewhat, but she can't speak for extended periods of time."

Roman shuffled and paced. He wanted to keep his suave personality his dominant trait, but this man was irritating him so much he was sorely tempted to set him aflame now. Remembering his breakdown minutes earlier, he elected not to do such a thing. However, before he even had a chance, Tyrian was behind Watts, pulling him back. Roman thanked the heavens for the insane man's arrival, as he found Tyrian's breed of utter frenzy a step away from the pretentiousness and false politeness which made up the good doctor's primary statements.

"Salem needs us. Now. You too."

Roman began to move along, and he felt something wrong. Something felt bizarre. He may not have been a powerful man in terms of sense, but he knew when something was up, and this was one of those moments. Roman could see little things out of the corner of his eye. Figures outside the window. Something was pooling. Black ooze. Roman looked at it.

No, that wasn't right. Not ooze. Mist. That couldn't be real. But Roman could see it was. Faces. Faces in the mist, faces making up the monsters rising up. Roman realized what was happening. This was what the Grimm were. Monsters, yes, but people. And Faunus. Faunus as well, he supposed, were likely fair game.

Roman continued to walk through the hall, and his wound continued to get worse. It was clear that Neo wanted to fix it, but she didn't have the supplies. The wound was clear, and it was likely that a shard of broken glass was the cause. It had likely slashed his side while he was being annihilated by Cinder.

They were there. The meeting room. There were a few plates of food there, and Tyrian gestured to their seats. Roman leaned to Cinder.

"Hey, uh, there's a wound on my side. It would help if you'd cauterize it."

Cinder groaned, and just shook her head, before lighting a small flame and running it up the wound. Roman grunted in pain as it happened, and when it was finally over, he breathed a sigh of relief, before Cinder burned the cigar right out of his mouth, chuckling. Irate, Torchwick tossed the ashen remains down.

Grabbing an apple calmly off the table, and biting into it, he subtly set his cane down, and prepared to speak with Salem, who was now descending down the stairs. He reached into his jacket for another cigar, only to see that they were all gone. He refrained from slamming his face on the table, as he knew that, most likely, Emerald had stolen them all for some reason or other.

Sitting down, Salem referred to Roman in her gestures, introducing him. She gave a small speech, giving the whole "Best criminal in Vale" concept a run for its money in essence. Roman made sure to remind himself to bring notes next time.

"Nonetheless, Tyrian, Roman, Neo. Your new mission believes. I am reassigning Ms. Sustrai to the care of Cinder, who seems to make the most of her skills."

"Due respect, Salem, but I disagree."

"Oh? How so?"

"I feel Cinder has woefully underutilized Emerald's talents."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Cinder has been ignoring her extraordinary skills at thievery and trickery in favor of making her far too loyal for her own good."

Cinder shot him a look, and Roman flashed her a shining grin, before turning back to Salem.

"I would argue that I'd like to keep Ms. Sustrai by my side."

"I'm sorry, but my decision is made."

Roman sat back in defeat.

"But on the bright side, Torchwick, you'll be getting an opportunity to do something you seem to be good at. You're going to be breaking into a heavily-guarded compound, kill everyone inside, and take a selection of things."

"And what compound is that?"

"Your warehouse."

"What."

"The police recently cordoned off the area, and the Vale military has set up a large group of remaining forces. We need that Dust, and you're going to get it back for us, _Roman._ "

The way that she said his name made him inexplicably grit his teeth in anger, alongside wishing for another cigar.

"We'll be giving you a small group of White Fang members to take it back. They will be armed and prepared to kill anything you direct them at."

"Perfect. I have shields."

"If that is your selected use of them, I can tolerate it."

Roman grinned silently. Neo leaned by her father, and smirked maniacally. He ruffled her hair, before looking at his cane once more. It was time to watch something burn.

Emerald began to move back to Cinder. A complication, especially after his episode in the hall, but nevertheless not a major issue. He could feel himself adjusting to fighting again. And he thought about Red. How he would kill her. He respected her. But there was a difference in that he only respected her if he could wring her neck. Otherwise, she was a pest. And like all bugs, she would be squashed.

Bet on that.


	7. Chapter 7

The car pulled up, several White Fang thugs behind Roman, each carrying an assault rifle, likely procured from Atlas military. He lit up his cigar as he and Neo surveyed the area.

"Six cops."

Suddenly, one of the White Fang members grabbed Roman's shoulder. He turned back, and his eyes widened, nearly tripping over Melodic Cudgel.

" _Perry_?"

"I thought you were dead!"

"I was… I think."

Roman turned silently from his former subordinate, looking at the trucks outside the warehouse. He grinned.

"Sixteen armed guards. Excessive force, but nothing we can't handle. Additionally, there are several workers assisting with the confiscation. Eliminate them. No witnesses."

"But, sir, they're not involved."

"I wouldn't think the White Fang would care. Follow my orders. Shoot them, kill them. Wipe them off the face of the Earth. Just ensure they don't tell about this."

Roman rose, his binoculars still focused on the trucks. He pointed out the merchandise, grinding his teeth, biting his cheek. He could tell this would be a difficult bunch, but he had authorization to do anything until the mission was finished. He looked to Neo, he nodded to him. A cold gust of wind blew across the land as he prepared the sights of Melodic Cudgel, Neo preparing her blade, and as one of the cops looked up, he saw an emerald-eyed shadow, a massive white coat creating a shroud over him, as a gleaming smile emerged.

The first shot was swift. An explosion, which took out four guards before raising their Aura was even a possibility. Several bullets rocketed through the air, pinpoint precision sending them to their targets, breaking through the armor and Aura protecting them. In seconds, there were few left. It wasn't even a fight. It was a slaughter.

The final man left grabbed his Scroll, and in his last breathing moments, contacted the city police, begging them, tears streaming down his face, before a blade slammed through his chest from behind, and a petite, smiling girl walked over his body gracefully, not even bothering to wipe the blood off herself.

The White Fang members following the two expressed their fear and disgust in simple terms, as they whispered about how psychotic the girl was. Some were indifferent, many were horrified, but a few found her unnerving tendencies attractive. They discussed what they would do to her, before the boss turned a disapproving eye to them, concealed beneath his hat. One went far enough to make a vulgar motion in response, and the girl had her blade to his neck in seconds, and when signaled, pushed it through, killing him. The boss urged them to walk past their fallen comrade.

Roman could hear the whirling blades of a helicopter above, and footsteps on the roof of the warehouse.

"Stay sharp. The cavalry's here."

And at the moment he said that, a bullet was sent flying, knocking a thug across the floor. Thankfully, he was saved, but a couple more bullets fired, and Roman heard a whirring noise. His eyes widened as he realized what that signaled.

He grabbed Neo, and clutched her in his arms, as minigun fire ripped through his team. He could hear the bullets coming ever closer, but he keps his eyes closed, his daughter in his arms. Hopefully, his Aura would save them both. He himself knew, of course, that was a false hope. He patted the girl on the head, and he turned around to gamble with destiny.

Aiming for the gun rather than the heavily-armored man, he set it aflame, several bullets flying towards him. One struck him in the shoulder, another in the jaw. Thankfully, he was shielded both times, but he nevertheless felt the pressure to win quickly rushing. Most of the White Fang were dead, but the few living were ducked behind the crates of munitions and-

 _Damn it._

A stray bullet hit Dust, making a crater where a man had once been. Torchwick adjusted his hat, and fired Melodic Cudgel at two of the lowlier cops. However, as he fired, a bullet hit his hand, penetrating his skin, and causing his cane to fall right out of his hand. Grabbing a rifle from one of the many corpses, he fired several shots at the cops in front of him, before another shot went straight through his shoulder. He fell back, bleeding, and in a blur of motion, he was whisked behind a small, empty barrel.

The few remnants of the detail sent with Torchwick all hid as Neo stepped to the forefront of the fight, firing off several rounds, killing several cops, before the heavy reached for his minigun. Before he could react, she was above him, and several shots had hit his sternum, and she slammed her blade through his helmet, and through his natural shielding, straight into his eye. Roman, seeing it, couldn't help but have a feeling of disgust, combined with an odd sort of pride for his daughter's skill.

He clutched his wounds desperately, blood rushing through his fingers. He bit into his lip, and got out from behind the barrel. Several cops crashed through the roof. With one hand, he grabbed the arm of the first one, snapping it, and grabbed his gun, finishing him off. The next one aimed his gun, but Roman pulled the clip out. The third managed to get off a shot, but Roman ducked, allowing the bullet to kill the man behind him. He grabbed him, and slammed the third into the ground, smashing his helmet, and putting a bullet in him, before taking his pistol, and ducking back behind the barrel.

Roman ushered the remaining crooks out from behind the crates, which were the cargo that they needed. He quickly pointed to his cane, and Perry tossed it back to him. Roman caught it, and fired off, saving Neo from a cop who had his sights trained on her.

Roman slowly moved into position, only a few policemen left now. Neo and Roman stood together, and in one smooth motion, she climbed on his shoulder and made a flying leap. She got to roof level, and fired, killing the pilot of one of the helicopters. As they crashed together and lit aflame, the two killers smiled, and in minutes, the police had made a hasty retreat.

Gesturing for the remaining White Fang soldiers to move the weapons to the truck, Roman and Neo began to load their precious cargo, as their previous safehouse wasn't a good place to keep weapons anymore. Contacting Cinder, he calmly stated a report of what had happened.

"Alright. You have the merchandise?"

"Yes."

"Any witnesses?"

Neo looked eagerly. Roman nodded, and she killed all but one of the White Fang members who had assisted them. The last one cowered by the car. Roman could almost sense the smug sense of victory from the other side of the Scroll.

"One left."

"Kill him, and bring the cargo to these coordinates. By the way, someone wants to speak with you."

Roman heard a muffled sound coming from the other side, and quickly realized what he was hearing.

"What are you doing to her?" he burst out, clenching his fist.

"Nothing much, just her righteous punishment for her betrayal. The Grimm do _so_ enjoy when I let them tou-"

Roman slammed the Scroll down, and stomped on it. Finally, he walked over to the survivor. It was Perry. Of course it was Perry. Roman couldn't seem to escape him. He was blubbering, desperately begging for his life.

"Please, please, please! I have a family!"

"Oh, how cliche."

"Don't kill me! Please! I won't talk! I promise!"

"Oh, sorry, but if you crack under the mere threat of death, then you're useless. I've died, you know, it kinda sucks at first, but you get used to it."

"Please… no… don't! Don't hurt me! Don't kill me! Please, Roman! Please, it's me! It's Perry!"

"You animals... all look the same to me."

And then, ending their banter, he pulled the trigger

* * *

Roman charged into the dining room, armed, his wound barely even patched up. He tossed Melodic Cudgel aside, and pulled a knife straight off the table. He spoke no words, and chopped into Cinder's door. She opened it calmly, exposing what was happening to him. Emerald was lying on the floor, bruised and beaten, chunks of flesh bitten into, her clothes only barely staying on her, several tears on them. Roman shoved the knife at Cinder's face, and she slammed him against the wall effortlessly, caressing his face.

"You're… disgusting, Cinder."

"I know. Isn't it fun?"

She kneed him, and slammed him face-first into the ground with her heel, and he felt it driving into his neck. He struggled to get out, but there was nothing he could do. He felt a warmth spreading down his back, and knew that she was slowly lighting him aflame for the thrill of it. He dug his nails into her leg, but she simply ignored his attempt to hurt her.

Roman looked to Emerald, who was lying on the floor, barely conscious. She looked back to him, but she made no attempt to resist Cinder's assault to him. In a last-ditch maneuver, he whispered " _help_ ".

At this, Emerald finally stood, grabbing Cinder, breaking her concentration. Cinder effortlessly slapped her back down, but it gave Roman the time he needed to grab her hand, and remove it from his back. The two stood off, Roman unarmed, and Cinder with all the magic she would ever need. Roman knew the odds weren't in his favor. Grabbing his knuckles, he prepared for the unavoidable situation. Looking down at Emerald, he remembered his vengeance. But he remembered freedom. And he knew now what he fought for.

And he would fight.


	8. Chapter 8

The motion was slow and smooth, the flames licking down to his face. Roman could feel his skin sizzling as the fire burned yet quicker. Cinder was clearly enjoying this. Emerald herself had nearly risen, but each time she fell back down. Roman clenched his teeth, before he backed to the wall.

"Emerald's your little slave, is that right? Yours to punish when things go wrong? Don't think. Obey? Really? You thought I wouldn't catch on?"

The two leveled eyes. She grinned maniacally, and he couldn't help but smirk. She was slightly taken aback by this, he could tell, but remained confident. After all, he could be smirking about any number of things. His white longcoat was red with blood, and he cast it aside, staring her down, smirking.

"You don't get it, do you? I am fire. _I am death_."

"Oh, how cliche! The queen wannabe tries to fight for her boss's throne. Except there's one issue with that. We've both done some evil things in the past. Hell, I just murdered the closest thing I had to a friend in the White Fang. But what you don't understand is that we do have a difference, and that's motivation."

"Why… aren't you… _afraid_?"

"I am."

The room was struck with a deafening silence, Roman's smirk fading, and Cinder smiling, drawing ever closer. He was used to being in control. He was the boss. Whether it was commanding a strike team, or merely having conversation, he was on top every time. But now someone above him on the chain approached, and he was sweating. Hoping desperately that she wouldn't kill him. Hoping desperately that she wouldn't watch him turn to smolders and ash.

"I am afraid. That's why I'm so good at everything. Fear is a natural response. It motivates me. Fear of dying, fear of losing everything, fear of being ostracized, fear of betrayal. I am afraid, Cinder. I was always afraid. And I still am. But now I'm afraid for someone else. Quite frankly, the fact I'm alive is only a minor boon. But Emerald, and Neo, they are the ones I fight for. My daughter and your puppet."

Cinder tossed a fireball at him, and, to his surprise, he blocked it with a simple motion of his hand. As his hand pulsed with a glowing black, he could feel something changing. His vacant expression turned to a sneer, and he felt his teeth growing sharp. Cinder stood to him. He ground his fangs together, and pointed at her, facing the ground.

" **You… are afraid too. You claim to want power. You act like a megalomaniac. But you're just a scared little** _ **kid**_ **.** "

He spit as he said the words, before rearing his head, his face shifting back to being its standard appearance. He was dead serious. No playful aspect to his tone or expression. It was clear he had no intention to change that fact.

"Like the puppet you took. Like Emerald Sustrai. All good is motivated by fear. All evil is motivated by fear. _We_ are motivated by fear. Everyone is afraid. But I admit it. You took a scared girl from the street, one who just wanted to live her life, and you preyed on her fear. You killed a Faunus organization's members. You preyed on their fear. The only alleviation to your fear is preying on others'. You tried to prey on my fear. Threatened Neo. Tortured Emerald. You hurt so many people. You _killed_ them."

Cinder began to let her flames die as he spoke.

"You don't want power. You just don't want to be afraid anymore. You're just a scared kid. Like me… like her. Like Salem. Everyone's afraid. So, here's the question. Is this next attack out of _spite…_ out of an attempt to hurt me for nothing? Or is it really just you trying to alleviate the idea of betrayal. Because I know what you're doing wrong. You think I don't treat my people like crap? You're wrong. If there is a God above, he's going to punish me for every sin I've committed. To Vale, to Mistral, to Remnant. And trust me. That is a _long_ list. So you can send me down there quicker, or you can stop this now. Admit that you're just like us."

Cinder let her flame extinguish, and for a second, Roman thought she looked guilty. He shook off the thought. She began to light her hand on fire again. Roman saw her reach for Emerald, and that was it. She turned back to him. Roman could see her smile, a broken, damaged smile. One she fought through.

"Cinder, I want you to stop."

"I don't want to."

"Cinder, I am offering you a chance to stop before someone gets hurt."

"Oh, Roman… I will not stop. I am going to slowly burn her before your eyes. And then, I am going to walk over there, and I am going to spare you. Only so I can find her daughter. And when I find her, I am going to take her by the neck… _like this…_ "

She grabbed Emerald by the throat, and Roman clenched his fist, suppressing the urge to charge her.

"And then, after I light her up by the neck, and she's writhing in pain, I will bring her to her knees, and I will bring the White Fang. I will let them do whatever they want to her, the animals. I will let them beat her. Rape her. And I may get involved myself, if I deem it fun. And then I will put a gun to her head… no, I'll force _you_ to put a gun to her head, and I will make you pull the trigger. And then, after all that, I will walk away. I will never see you again. If you don't commit suicide, then I can presume you'll live the rest of your life without them. Either way, I will have my vengeance."

Roman's eyes widened, and he laughed. He laughed, and laughed. He laughed so hard, tears streamed down his face, and he grinned maniacally, and she could see the visage of smoking wings surrounding him. In seconds, his eyes were red, his nails sharp, and his teeth fangs. He was grinning like a madman, and finally, he looked at her, his eyes aglow.

" _ **Undignified.**_ **I gave you a chance, Miss Fall…** _ **and you didn't take it. Have fun.**_ "

Roman looked at her, and cast aside his bloody jacket, and rose, completely smiling.

" **I'm a sociopath, Cinder. But what you are is worse. You're not. Nothing but fear in there. Well, why don't I give you something to be afraid of?** "

Roman loomed over Cinder, his demonic aspects dominating him. And in a twisted, dark, brutal dance, he descended upon her. The pain she felt was a combination of a burning and a bite, scratches running down her. Emerald grabbed Roman desperately, as he continued to lash into her. She pulled him, and he struck Cinder once more. Emerald grabbed his face. He stomped on her. Emerald looked at him, and spoke one word.

"Stop!"

There was a sting, and it took a second for the monster to realize that Emerald had, of all things, slapped him clear across the face. He smiled, and slowly, the wings around him disappeared. He actually began to kneel to Emerald, and he faded back to being Roman Torchwick, kneeling before Emerald, Cinder falling beside them. Torchwick was still crying, and blood stained his hands and face. There was no laughter. Whatever Torchwick felt, it was not something describable in mere words. He clasped her hand, and she kneeled with him. Cinder squirmed and struggled to their side, and Emerald put a hand on her former boss. Roman slammed his fist against the ground, blood splattering. Whether it was his or Cinder's was unclear. He was afraid. Deathly afraid.

Emerald clutched his head in her arms, and he fell into her lap. Roman cried into her legs, and she simply held him. He muttered as he cried.

"Perry… Joshua… Criss… _Mercury_ …"

Finally, he wiped the tears from his face, and looked up to Emerald. For once, he was vulnerable. He wasn't hiding anything. Something about transforming into a Grimm had changed him, even if it was temporary. She cradled him, and it was clear. Despite all his claims, he was just as scared as she was.

And as he fell to the floor, she lied next to him, gently holding his hand. In a way, she felt sorry for Cinder too. She was badly injured. But the time would come to deal with that. For now, she just kept close to Roman. After all, he was one of Vale's greatest criminal.

And she was the best, because she had stolen his heart. She giggled at her horrendous prose. After all, she was next to an absolute master of words. She remembered how he'd rallied the White Fang. That felt like centuries ago. She had never seen him like this.

Roman finally looked her in the eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, and she shushed him, before speaking for herself.

"We've done horrible things, both of us. I've killed too. I watched them burn, while Cinder grinned and Emerald was so smug…"

"You don't know half of it… I've killed so many innocents. I've watched them endure worse fates than burning. I tried to hard to not regret it. To just be aloof about it, but eventually, I had to face up to it. Why couldn't I have just died? Just endured my punishment."

"Because then, this wouldn't happen."

She hugged him, and for a moment, delayed. Roman flinched a bit, and she giggled. For a master with words, Roman Torchwick did not really have a way with women when it came down to genuine interaction. His flirtatious exterior was merely a facade. He moved his eyes, and she grabbed him and leveled their faces, before locking lips with Roman, before they both passed out. As they did, she spoke to him.

"Your breath is still awful."

* * *

When Tyrian saw them, he simply picked up Cinder's body, leaving them alone. Even if it mildly defied Salem, some things were worth it. He left the two, sleeping together, covered in blood.

 _Fucking romantics_.


	9. Chapter 9

He was atop a car, kneeling, watching the police fire desperately, missing every shot. He could see lights above, shining over the confrontation. And he could see the ash once again. There were no roads, merely dust. No path. No sight through the darkness. The lights shined through the night, and they seemed to lead him on through the storm of ash. He looked on, squinting at the police. He was unarmed, and something soothed him. He could see through the ash somehow. He pondered. _Could I be an alien? No, that would be stupid. Could I be a Grimm? No, I see my hands. Some sort of mysticsl thing?_

And as he looked above, the lights faded, and something landed on the police. There were screams, and the bisected body of a policeman flew towards him. Roman nearly vomited at the sight, but held his ground. Something was coming through the darkness. A reckoning. _His_ reckoning. And he realized, at that moment, that there were no lights in the sky. There hadn't been. No, there were just gunshots. He ducked into the car, and pulled out an assault rifle, loaded with high-explosive Dust rounds. Aiming down the scope, he spotted the shining glint of a scythe.

" _Little Red, Little Red…_ "

He fired one round, and it exploded in mid-air. He scoped in further, and saw a sniper rifle pointed at him. Ducking, he felt the next shot destroy his car. Leaping out from the top, he landed smoothly, making a shot in mid-air, which blew up above his head. Tossing the rifle aside, he reached into the back of the destroyed car, and removed a switchblade. The rifle blew away in the ash storm, and he saw the scythe glint once more, alongside a pair of silver eyes. Four more vehicles surrounded him, one containing nightmarish White Fang soldiers. Their eyes were black, their veins dark, their skin grey. He saw them descending on him. The next arrived slowly, and as they exited, he saw his former mob, and some of Junior's gang. The third, however, unleashed something new. A red-eyed, furious Mercury, whose skin was deathly white. He was growling, an absolute monster. There was no passion in his eyes, nor was there a conscience. Nothing but brutal, monstrous rage, and an urge to shred Roman with his teeth.

The final one, Roman thought, he didn't need to look at. But as he did, he saw a nightmare coming out. Civilians. Burned, shot, torn apart. Some faces he remembered, some he forgot. Casualties. The dead, killed by him or his supporters. Murdered. The monstrous apparitions approached him.

" _You killed us._ "

Roman squinted. It was Perry. Of course it was. Even in death, he haunted Roman. Even so, Roman smashed him to a grey dust. Next, however, were the civilians. Ganging up on him, they gnashed their sharp teeth in a hunger for him. Roman tried to kick and scream, but they wouldn't let go. Mercury descended upon him, tearing his flesh from his muscles in a bite. They slowly began to tear pieces off of Roman, and as he struggled, his body covered in sweat, blood, and whatever other bodily fluids he happened to be producing at the time, he screamed for help. And as they continued to eat him, she landed above him, scythe pointed at his neck. And as he looked at her, it all faded away.

The two were showing down in a circle, but although the monsters were still eating away at Roman, he felt no pain. He held the switchblade in one hand, ignoring them.

"Ruby Rose. Pleasure to meet you again."

She was silent, and shifted her rifle to a scythe. Roman, meanwhile, has hacking away the corpses with his switchblade, almost like blades of grass. A mere annoyance now, as he finally stood face to skull with her. She showed no fear, staring him down, a glare of death in her eyes. He was dead. He had been. And had he really returned? Was any of this real?

Roman's skin slowly grew back, and he leaned right into Miss Rose's face. She was silent, and barely even moved. This was a far cry from the brat who had asked him his motivation. He understood it now. But she didn't know that. As she stared at him, she repeated what he had said, as the bisected top half of one of the cops crawled up to him, clutching him by the leg. She looked down at the cop. Over and over, she repeated the words he had told her.

" _I can't afford to lose._ "

She held her gun to his head, and he realized no help was coming to him. It was time to face the music. No dodging. No elaborate bullet-time magical deus ex machina bullshit was going to save him this time. He had lost. She had the ability to put one in his head. And from these cops, he could tell… he had won despite it. He had broken her. He took a tiny amount of pride in that fact. Despite death, he had achieved a small victory.

"What is that?"

He stared at the barrel, and recognized the voice. Mercury was behind him.

"Roman, Vale's best thief, beaten by a girl I smacked down nonchalantly? Pff. You're a joke."

"Shut up!"

"Come on, old man. That your best comeback? The Roman I knew would never just give up. He couldn't afford to lose."

" _Shut up!_ "

Mercury walked right up behind him. Roman could see him aiming straight at Ruby's face, countering her stalemate on them. Sweeping under her leg, Roman slammed her down, and plunged the knife in. Once again, he slammed the knife down. Over and over. Into her neck, her torso, her arm.

He woke up, gasping, on the chair. Emerald had her arms around him. He got up and tried not to bother her. He reached for a cigar, and remembered that Emerald had stolen his lighter again. He sighed, and got out a book. He checked his Scroll. Neo had texted him that she had 'taken care of' a problem in Vale, whilst her Umbrella in the picture was plunged into the ground. The table behind had a man sprawled on it. He had his own knife down his gut. He texted back that he was proud of her, and then grabbed a book.

He was reading one of the "Ninjas of Love" books. Sure, they were trashy and aimed at teens, but he was invested. After all, he'd been sent to assassinate just a book ago, and there they were, enjoying themselves. Sure, it was filth, but rather enjoyable filth. And wasn't that what counted? Guilty pleasures. They were fun.

It was 2:41, and he spent another hour or so reading the book on his bed, reminiscing on events. It had been a month since he had brought down Cinder. Since then, no more fits of his Grimm powers had come on, and he hadn't had much work to do. Whilst Cinder was severely punished, she was spared, and her seat on the Council was kept, albeit with massive boundaries. Salem had proven to be a fairly good boss. She had understood his reasons behind the attack. She had been cordial, despite his tendency towards smoking in front of her and making defiant remarks at her.

Roman had taken some time to study everything in the library. He wasn't a very bookish person, but there were not many forms of entertainment. He had a television, but didn't often get time to watch anything. He'd tried following some reality shows, but he ended up busy too often. Overall, he had a spotless track record. Now that Salem had given him firepower, and command of Grimm, he had power.

Oh, yeah, and one of those limitations of Cinder's abilities were that a few were transferred to Roman. Namely, commanding Grimm. He found work easy when there were no fingerprints. However, the White Fang was becoming difficult to work with. Adam's involvement had left a bad taste in some of Menagerie's mouths, and rumor was that the Faunus on Red's team was leading a charge to take it back. Roman's followers remained from that group. His speech had drawn a lot of Faunus to him. He was rather popular with the 'Fangwicks', as they called himself. They impersonated his style of dress. Some had styled their weapons after his cane, shooting fireworks rather than bullets.

He had to admit, that despite his hatred of Faunus, having his own gang again was fun. The first order of business was eliminating his old mob. Needless to say, it was an easy task. He had killed most of them, but spared a couple. He had seen the slaughter on the news, but charted down to the "Fangwicks" rather than him, hiding his existence. They had more members every week, and Salem had supplied him with the ordnance to gun down an army. And thankfully, the warehouse had given them plenty of rounds and Dust to kill with.

Emerald, meanwhile, hadn't been distant to him. He was dealing with everything. He tried not to regret it. She was currently asleep. He looked at her. She was rather cute clinging to the chair like he was still in it. He thought it was rather odd how they had begun a solid relationship and balanced it. However, he'd been helped through it by a good friend.

Apparently, "Chains", the nickname for the White Fang member that had introduced him, was also impressed with the speech, and joined the Fangwicks, becoming Roman's trusted lieutenant. He had replaced Mercury as his default second in command. Sadly, Mercury's fate was unknown. He wasn't in his cell. However, Roman managed to get past that. He had more power than ever, and it felt _good._ Some men just wanted to watch the world burn. He was not a mere man anymore. He was a true hybrid. Man and monster in one.

He was power incarnate. Or so his followers thought, anyways. The rambunctious, reckless rioters ripped, raided, and reamed their way through the roads, Roman's desires for chaos fulfilled. Salem's agenda was achieved. He looked out through the window at a pool of Grimm. He touched his hand against the glass. He could feel it. They were nothing but _hate_ … and the rage of the beasts they were. Treated like animals, but in reality, they were hate, fear, and despair itself. They were more than beast. They were truly the culmination of Roman's philosophy. He admired them for such a thing. He could feel the hate, and hate empowered them. He brought fear and death, which created more.

In reality, though, he wasn't much for anything. He had created chaos, whilst comfortable in the metaphorical chair of command that he sat in with the White Fang, his precious imitators, and the Grimm under his control. He brought death with him. He was contented with it. He was evil. He knew it. She knew it. They all knew it. And as the bodies piled, the heads on the pikes, he slowly formulated a plan to ensure that the Council were going to fall out of favor with Salem. He didn't need to escape. He needed to ensure everything was good and proper for his betrayal.

Emerald mumbled incoherently as she woke up, seeing Roman spaced out. She grabbed him by the shoulders, and he snapped up, paranoid. He calmed down once he saw her. She leaned over him, and he enjoyed his view for a couple seconds, before donning a shirt, and then a suit jacket. There was a helicopter for transportation, bringing him to a deal. He donned a tie, and walked off for work. He loaded himself with a knife in each sleeve, and his cane was already on the helicopter. It was unique. Hunter Training had taught him how to use it. Never expected him to become a mercenary.

He waved goodbye to Emerald, and as Chains flew him to the Schnee Dust Company, which was private airspace now, oddly enough, he found his lighter next to him. Chains grinned, and Roman smirked back. He pulled a cigar out, lit it up, and sent himself onwards. He was about to organize a raid with Whitley Schnee. He heard the kid was a bit of a brat, but ambitious. He looked forward to organizing the betrayal of Jacques. He was the worst kind of father. Controlling. Dominating. He detested it. He wanted Jacques dead. But that was not his orders at the time. He heard that Red's 'friend' (he was convinced they were a bit closer than that) was still here. Of course, the dealings of the Schnees were a well-kept secret.

As they descended upon the helipad, Whitley arrived, eating an apple. He was dressed in a similarly classy fashion as his mannerisms indicated. He gave a smug, dirty look at Roman's cigar. Roman tightened his eyes. He would _not_ be happy to work with him. But the opportunity to talk with Ice Queen, to find something out about Ruby Rose, it would be worth it. And even then, he was under orders anyways.

Once these negotiations were over, evil was going to win, and Roman would dominate evil with the only thing more powerful than it. He would conquer them with fear, with death, with the power he now controlled. He would defeat them with the power of the Grimm. Victory would be his.

Whitley pulled out his cigar, and tried to blunt it out on his suit. Roman grabbed his arm, and stopped him.

"I could snap you like a twig, _Schnee_ …" Chains said from behind Roman, whilst readying his saw. "...after all, I almost killed your sister."

Roman let him go, casually.

"Anyways, how is the Ice Queen?"

"She's fine, Mr. Torchwick."

"That's nice, kiddo. Now, hand me my cigar, and we will continue this conversation."

Roman looked above the gardens by the helipad, and spotted the family patriarch. He was fine with his son dealing with thugs. But the question was whether he knew. Was this a trap? Did Schnee have the police on them? He kept his eye above. Sure enough, several helicopters were above them. But whose? His question was answered when a Schnee guard pulled out his gun and aimed at Roman, who was entirely calm.

"Chains! You may kill a Schnee yet today."

"Not with this gun trained on you."

"Shut up, kid. For the son of someone relying on Dust, you don't get the way the universe works."

"These are Aura-piercing Dust rounds, Mr. Torchwick."

"Listen, you make another comment, and I will have Chains slap the bastard out of you. Your dad is up there, watching. I am going to rampage through your mansion, kill anyone who gets in my way, and light up your house with gunfire. Then, I am going to go up there, and shoot your dad, then toss him off his balcony. I won't kill him, gravity will. Then, when the terrorist attack will continue, Schnee corporation will die, and Chains will cut your brain right out of your head, and I will feed it to your Grimm."

"Hmm? And how?"

Roman pressed a button on his phone, and three seconds later, Neo and Emerald landed on top of the guards surrounding Whitley. Roman grabbed him by the collar, and shot a single firework, destroying the helicopters. They fell down in a spectacular fashion, collapsing behind him, leaving an aura of flame that illuminated his eyes as they briefly seemed to turn from his green to a burning scarlet. He was nigh-demonic in this state.

"Time for a lesson in respect, you little brat. Chains!"


	10. Chapter 10

Roman's expression swiftly went from satisfaction to horror. He felt the bullets rushing past his back, hot lead pouring into the walls behind him, all around him, bullets flying to his left, and his right, and sometimes into him. Luckily, he was defended, but it wouldn't last long.

"Emerald, Neo, I'm pinned. Could use an assist."

Static.

A bullet whizzed straight through his Aura and into his shoulder. Another hit him in the prosthetic hand, blowing off a finger. He was tempted to scream in the pain, but didn't want to give away his location. He dropped Melodic Cudgel, and tried to run, but the next bullet struck right next to his leg. He could barely dodge the attacks of the soldiers by this point. They had far better numbers.

At that moment, a bullet hit the soldier attacking him, and a blade pierced his neck. Neo stepped out from behind, much cleaner than she usually was in these fights. Roman grabbed Melodic Cudgel with his prosthetic arm, and grabbed the finger off the ground, attempting to re-attach it. Eventually, he socketed it in, just in time for several more bullets to fly towards Neo.

Luckily, she shattered and left him alone. Now prepared again with his prosthetic arm fully working, he fired his cane off. There were too many soldiers. He cursed the predicament, and looked at the window. Smashing it, he leaped outside, before using his cane to grapple back to the ledge. He had no Aura, and even if he had, a drop here would end with him as a splatter on the ground. He knew that his plans of taking them down wouldn't last long.

Chains was faring far better. He had sliced several guns in half, and was pursuing a desperate, scared Whitley through a hallway. He deflected the bullets with his saw, weaving in and out of the hallways. and finally, as he caught up, Jacques himself fired a gun. Chains deflected the shot, but was too late to realize that the bullet was an explosive round. As it knocked him back, he was riddled with bullets. He stood before them. He stared down Jacques. His Aura had taken many bullets before breaking. And his Aura wasn't the only thing about to be broken. He revved his saw, before tossing it aside, as it slashed through the soldiers like swiss cheese. Some died, some weren't even hurt. Either way, they were stunned.

"Jacques Schnee. I did not expect to come face to face with the man responsible for my kind's mistreatment."

"You _animals._ Invading my home."

"Actually, there is only one _animal_ here."

"Really? So you embrace your nature, Faunus?"

"As I've stated, only one animal here."

A kick shot the saw back to Chains's hand as the soldiers rallied. Emerald backed him up. She took suppressing shots at the soldiers, nothing clearly lethal. Emerald pointed her gun at Jacques as well, before shooting his gun right out of his hand. Jacques ceased the soldiers from firing.

"He said there was only one animal here."

"Yes, and I agreed."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"I understand them more than _you_ do, you pathetic who-"

" _First off:_ Those days are over. Next: You need me to explain it."

"What, child, pray tell?"

"You treat them like animals, like ticking time bombs, like they're less than people because they're not human. It's _sick._ They're not slaves, you know."

"What are you getting at? I've heard these accusations before, there had better be a point."

"Roman once said that humans were the worst. Case and point. He was right. We mistreat Faunus every day and expect to get away with it. And, sure, some of them use more volatile means to assault humans, but then you run away with it. So, if you want to mistreat them, they are going to strike back."

And just then, Jacques ordered his soldiers to fire. Emerald took a shot, but he ducked under cover moments before she could squeeze the trigger. Emerald got in the way of Chains as the bullets nearly hit him. She blocked them, but they both knew they'd break very quickly. Chains and Emerald each fought, but they were out of position and ideas.

Roman, meanwhile, had been trying to contact them for minutes. Neo had calmly drifted down, but he was sticking to the ledge. Finally, after the soldiers left, he rose up, and began to search for Weiss's room. He quickly saw a dumpy little butler, and looked at the poor man. He made no threatening motions. This man was the servant. He held respect for servants.

"Where is Weiss?"

"I'm afraid the lady has gone."

"...What?"

"She went missing, mysteriously."

Roman gritted his teeth. Neo had her blade ready to stab through him, but he waved her off. No more innocent blood today. This was meant to be a deal, but the Schnees had led them into a trap. Hostilities would begin, and in short, this was a colossal failure. He knew that Salem wouldn't forgive him for something this vital. He slammed his cane against the wall in rage, and allowed the butler to leave. He shot a hole into her room, and looked at it. Everything was gone. There was nothing but a bed. She had escaped. He was furious, but tried to channel it calmly. Eventually, however, he simply sat down on the bed, trying to get his comm to work.

It felt like hours before he saw the bloody body of Chains being brought to him. He kneeled down quickly, and began to wipe some of the red off his face. He checked for a pulse. He was breathing. He thanked the Heavens, and Emerald looked up at him, fire in her eyes. Finally, he grabbed a Scroll, and called Cinder.

"I need transportation, Miss Fall."

She just laughed. The Soldiers closed in on them. Chains was hurt. Emerald couldn't fight anymore. He and Neo wouldn't last very long. He lit up a cigar, and turned to the two.

"Go."

He grabbed a gun off the floor, and Neo bandaged his shoulder. He pulled a pistol out of his coat, and handed Neo his hat. He patted her head, and then told Emerald to grab Chains. He locked their hands together. The window was open, for some odd reason, and they went to the balcony. He checked to see if Emerald and Neo had weapons, and when assured they did, he did the thing a good family man would. He shoved his daughter off the balcony, and she maintained their weight. He grinned silently as the soldiers advanced. Jacques himself started by walking into the room.

" _Jacques._ " he sneered the words.

"We're so similar, Mr. Torchwick. Neither of us are fond of Faunus. Both of us have excellent taste in outfits. Both of us are fathers."

"Don't call yourself that, you abusive bastard. You don't deserve to be called a father. We are _nothing_ alike! You're one of them! The 1%! The sons of bitches in power! You're the kind of guy who screwed me over! Who took out all of my budget when I went to the Academy. You take advantage of the working class day after day, and you never endure consequences. I'm all for ditching the weak? But you? You _are_ the weak! _They_ are the ones who work every day for this."

"How hypocritical, Mr. Torchwick. You wear high-class outfits, smoke expensive cigars, and run armies. You're just like one of the 1%, but you're a terrorist!"

"I _earned_ this! Years of work to get this far. You? You _married_ into it. You started there. You never knew what it was like to work for someone. To want to keep her alive. I was on the streets, alone. And what did I do? I joined the mob. I ended up leading the mob. I've ascended from a criminal threat to a terrorist threat, and now a fantastical threat! You never worked a day in your damn life for your lot in life. _You_ screwed us over! All I wanted was to protect, to fight for your kind. But she screwed me over, the 1% screwed me over. The Academy screwed me over. Made me a psychopath. A killer. _You_ did this to me! You don't care about your daughter! _I_ care more about your daughter than you do. At least when I try to kill her, I treat her like a person!"

"I never made you a psychopath, Mr. Torchwick. You did that yourself. You made that choice."

"To save my daughter."

"Your prejudice against Faunus… I recognize the source. The woman, Neo's mother…"

"...Yes."

"Royalty, no less."

"It was just a fling."

"Still, though, she wasn't even a student. She was just visiting. Led the organization you play a role in. It goes so far against her wishes."

"This isn't about her. This is about _us!_ "

"Really? So this isn't about a young-"

" _Shut the fuck up!_ You don't know a thing about me. And don't even say her name. Your kind, you betray us all! She was one too. So are you."

"I understand. Guards, shoot him."

Roman fired a shot from Melodic Cudgel into Jacques' forehead, knocking over the soldiers like dominoes. It didn't kill him, but it felt satisfying. As the gunfire went past him, he leaped off as well, and closed his eyes. This was where it ended. This was where it all came to fruition. This was karma. This was how it went. This was how the candle died out. _Huh._ He'd never got to show down with Ruby, never got to meet her again. Even say hello.

He'd never get to ruffle Neo's hair again, or smile proud at her killing. He'd never get to go further with Emerald. He'd never get to feel her skin, or talk to her, or just clutch her in his arms like there was no tomorrow. He would never see Team RWBY again. He thought about it. So long and so hard, that he couldn't decide whether he truly wanted them dead anymore. Was it all worth it? Was the killing, the crime, the countless monstrous things? Was it all going to be worth it?

This was just the world's way of catching up to him. Of teaching its final lesson. It was irony that he'd never face justice. Only the mad ravings of another psychopath. They were alike, more than he'd care to admit. As he flew through the air, he cast aside his jacket, and remembered that most likely, he'd never feel it. An attack due to shock when he opened his eyes. A quick death. Not as merciful as he deserved, but he'd take what he could.

They said your life flashes before your eyes when you were about to die. Roman had died once already. He knew it was all a lie. Symbolism. What he also knew was that he could only picture three faces. Three faces he loved. Emerald, who he had only recently began to care for romantically, Neo, who he had been a father to all his life, providing for her and caring for her.

The last one was Ruby. He didn't love her romantically, although a touch fatherly, but he loved her for how much like him she was. How she represented what he had lost. She was so into the combat, she never realized the casualties. The naivety was priceless. She killed, sure, but never out of hate. She genuinely wanted justice.

He removed his cigar from his mouth. Of all the people to think about, it was his newest love, his daughter, and his nemesis. But Remnant? Remnant would only know the end of their tales, not his. How he went out in a bland way like shock. Or falling. Or how he had escaped at the last minute. He was still pondering a way he could pull that off. But his followers? Everyone else? They'd tell tales about how he lived, about how he had improbably gotten away with everything. Others would deny the notion. They'd say he was gone for good. Well, it just wasn't a story about him, he supposed. Nothing was definite.

Helicopter blades whirled above him. He didn't hear them. Everything was silent to him. He was thinking. How would this end? Would they ever get away? People would never know his real fate. But the story wasn't over. And he would never know how the story ends.

" _Ain't that a bitch_?"


	11. Chapter 11

Roman grabbed onto her hand tightly, and leaned into her face, kissing her gently, as he caressed her hair. The only thing he wore was a pair of tight-fitting jeans. His prosthetic arm was touching her hand, and it felt human to her. There was no undead aspect to Roman anymore. His mascara was gone, but he remained beautiful despite that. He had always been beautiful to her. Even if she hadn't always recognized it.

His touch was delicate, as he removed his hands from her and sat down on the bed. He looked down at his hands. She was the first to rise from the chair, and she pushed him down onto the bed, as she saw his eyes flutter slightly. She began to remove her top, but he placed a hand stopping the motion, before he began to do it himself. She began to undo his belt as he did so, evening it out.

"Roman Torchwick…"

She whispered his name in a hoarse breath. He looked into her eyes, and she unbuttoned his jeans gently. She descended upon his face, and he allowed her to kiss him. Not in a gentle manner, but in a domineering, powerful manner. She moved her legs across his body, and he couldn't help but grin. He held onto her hips entirely calmly, and as she moved her leg to his neck, he leaned up and began to lock lips with her.

* * *

Reality jolted Emerald out of her dream as the injured Chains grabbed her shoulder. He woke her silently, and pointed at a helicopter, a ladder descending. She nodded, but he seemed uneasy. He looked down at her, and shook his head, before finally speaking, and sitting down as he said the two words she didn't want to hear.

" _He jumped._ "

"Did he make it? Did you see him hit the ground?"

"I didn't see anything, Emerald. He fell and hit the trees. The helicopter was above him the entire time. A ladder was coming out. He didn't see it. I think… I think he's gone."

She stood up, choking on her words as she said them, but saying them nonetheless.

"Give me your scroll."

"What?"

"You have in on you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Give it to me."

He looked into her eyes. They were cold, desensitized. He handed her his Scroll, and she checked the contacts. Roman's was on there. She called it quickly, before she dialed Cinder's number. She knew it by heart. After all, Cinder had forced her into a life she'd never chosen. Cinder had controlled her for years. She pressed the "call" button.

"Where was our rescue?"

"What rescue?"

"You were told to have the White Fang on standby."

"I don't take orders from him."

"You laughed in his face."

"Of course. After all, why else would I- _they_ go to all this trouble?"

" _You bitch!_ You gave them the tip, not Jacques!"

"Maybe…"

"Roman's dead."

Cinder was silent for a couple seconds. She looked down. She covered her eyes.

"What happened?"

"The whole military showed up, so far as I can tell. Neo got us out, but Roman had to stay behind. She couldn't take all of the weight. It took a minute or so, but our landing strategy paid off, and he jumped."

"The _military_?"

"...Yes."

"Good. He's dead. As planned."

"You don't get it, do you?"

"Get what? He's _dead!_ He fucking died in there! He's _dead!_ Roman will never laugh again, or cry again. He will never lay eyes on his daughter ever again. Roman Torchwick is dead! And it's your fault! Roman will never go as far in life as he could have! There's no redemption for him! You _killed him_!"

"Technically, gravity killed him."

"Shut the fuck up!"

"What, me? Oh, you don't understand, I'm afraid. Roman was slowly replacing me. Now, I have my power back. I can command Grimm again."

She flicked her wrist, but to her surprise, nothing happened. She flicked her wrist again. Nothing. She smirked. They must take some time to come back to her. After all, he died miles away. Or did it work like the maiden powers? Did some random soldier have her abilities? She brushed off the thought. No. They would come back.

"So, they're not back. Well, I'm sure there's an explanation."

Emerald shook her head and tossed the Scroll down. Chains looked up at the helicopter. He clenched his fist, and turned back around. He motioned for them to leave, and silently, Neo arrived from the shadows. They walked to a point in the forest. At that moment, Neo pulled out a scroll of her own, and sent a text to someone. She hid the Scroll, although Emerald noticed despite that.

Emerald was quick in her theft, and deduced her password immediately. She checked the text on the Scroll, and what she saw surprised her a good bit.

"You!"

Neo looked at her, and Emerald waved her away. Neo refused, and looked her straight in the face. Emerald responded by balling her hand into a fist, and slamming into Neo's face. She shattered, and Neo landed behind her. Emerald was in tears, but nonetheless decided she was done with this.

"You contacted them! You _called_ the military? Why? Why the hell would you call the military? Why would you?"

Neo caught her next punch, and flipped her nonchalantly, before grabbing onto Roman's hat. It took her several seconds before Emerald realized that she was crying too. Chains looked at her, and she nodded.

"We were ordered."

Emerald grabbed her shotguns, and held a gun to each of their heads.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you!"

Chains sat down on a stump nearby.

"Because they were Roman's orders."

Emerald shoved her gun into his jaw, and yelled several more times, before incoherently mumbling, and then slamming her gun into his face. He looked disgruntled, and finally spoke once more.

"He wasn't supposed to die. But he did. He's gone. This wasn't… this wasn't the plan! He just wanted the mansion trashed as an excuse to meet the Ice Queen! He wanted a shootout. He… he wasn't planning to get himself killed."

She laughed.

"Huh?"

"The funny part is he probably could have fought his way out. Let's face it, we're talking about Roman here. If he'd wanted to, he could probably have shot and killed every soldier in there. Why'd he have to get all noble now? Why'd he jump? Did he _want_ to die? Did I miss the point? He could have at least fought."

"I'm sorry, Emerald."

Neo nodded in agreement, clutching Roman's hat. They all, for a second, stopped to acknowledge they were in mourning. But they knew there was no use in staying back. There would at least be a minor sweep. Sure, it turned out the Fangwicks' leader had been Roman. That would be on the news for a good bit by this point.

Emerald gripped her gun tightly, before finally holstering it. She silently turned and began to walk away, as they followed. There was no more death that was going to happen today. The master con man was gone. The thief, the assassin, and the brute were still unaccounted for by the law. And they were not going to be found.

Neo silently kept her feelings to herself, but they both knew that she was in pain. It had been years since she had been able to talk to her father. And now, he had decided to die for her sake. After all, he had always cared for her. The poor fool. She knew she was never worth caring for. She enjoyed killing even more than he did. Even before, she was worthless. She never should have sent the order!

Chains had very different thoughts. After all, Roman had survived worse than a simple fall. There was no way this killed him. He'd survived being eaten by a bird, and survived said bird exploding. That sounded hilarious as he said it. He'd survived the bird, and survived its death. There was no way in Remnant that Roman was genuinely dead. It was a fake-out. It had to be. No way it wasn't. I mean, this was Roman Torchwick he was talking about.

Emerald held onto her shotgun, ready for a fight. She was overflowing with emotion. She was trying to keep herself from breaking. Roman was gone, Neo and Chains had betrayed him, on his orders no less, and they had succeeded too well. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened otherwise. Would he have met Red? Would they have finally fought? Or would he have just died somewhere else? This wasn't a particularly important thing in the long run. All because of his plan to meet Weiss Schnee. It was his own fault.

She silently turned back and looked at the balcony one more time. She damned the name Schnee as she watched Jacques shut the window calmly. Didn't he get it? Someone had _died!_ No, many people had. Roman was just the one she had cared about.

But people died. This was the real world. In the real world, people died. The real world didn't care about spirit. No, the real world was cold. She wasn't a hero. She never had been, she never would be. She understood now. She was, once and for all, a monster. Just like the Grimm. Just like him.

The difference was that monsters didn't cry.


	12. Chapter 12

Roman tenderly touched her cheek, turning away into the darkness of the ashen desert. She felt him touching her despite his exit. She could feel everything now. Desperation. She dropped to her knees. She could still see his eyes in the storm. Neo and Chains brought him to his knees. All at once, he was visible again.

 _Bet._

Chains slammed his saw through Roman's sternum, and he bled. Countless specks of blood dripped from him. But only specks. Nothing worse. He felt himself grinning despite the saw slashing right through him. It perpetually ebbed him to death. But he didn't care. He was ready to get up and walk away.

 _On._

Then he saw them. The faces. Through the ash, they looked at him. Cinder. Weiss. Emerald. Neo. He saw them, begging. He rose. He tore the saw straight out of his chest, and ignored Chains behind him. He walked further into the ash, and saw the faces directing him at Red. She was back. He didn't care. He walked to her, and he sat down. No more trying to kill her. No more bloodshed today.

 _That._

He spoke. Gently. No longer with any malice.

"What do _you_ have to gain?"

"What?"

"Why are you fighting me? What do you get out of it?"

"Nothing."

"Then why are you doing it?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"...I see. Because it's the right thing."

"What?"

"I just don't understand. I don't get it."

"What don't you understand?"

"I just don't. It's bizarre. I only have one right thing to defend. The only thing to defend is my daughter, it's Emerald. I… hell, I don't know. I just want to keep myself safe. I'm afraid for them. I'm so scared."

He broke. He started to cry. He felt his eyes practically melting with the sting of his tears. He could feel his survival instincts kick in. Telling him to run. Not to cry. To keep up the image. To continue risking everything to keep seeming like a genuinely competent man. But the truth is, he wasn't. The small victories were worthless. He had to face it. He couldn't even defend them. He had failed.

He'd lost everything. And then he'd gained it back. And now they were probably dead in the forest. He had thought he'd won. But he'd lost. Karma had finally caught up to him. So many victims, so many people. He'd killed so many. He finally regretted it. He was broken. He snapped. He cried. He was angry, scared, and sad all at once. Was this what it felt like to die? Feeling so helpless, so completely incapable. He was just so… worthless.

He slammed his fists into the ground, his knuckles bleeding with every strike. He grabbed the ash, the bodies of his victims buried in the ground. He smeared them all over each other, beating the ground brutally. He could feel eyes watching him all over. Grimm. He turned his back to Ruby, and stood between them.

Ruby launched past him, and effortlessly slashed through them. She twirled her scythe in a beautiful dance as a black mist rose everywhere around her. She sliced and diced, swinging the blade and firing the rifle, grinning. Black and red speed, killing the Grimm. And that was when he understood. That was when he realized it.

"I'm not any use."

"Nope!"

"What?"

"So far as I can tell, you mean everything to them."

"Bullsh-"

* * *

Emerald woke up in her bed, Neo next to her, staring down at her. She was gentle in holding Emerald's hand. She was silent, and looked at her, staring her in the eyes. Emerald silently hugged Neo, and the two walked to the meeting table. Neo held his hat tightly against herself, clinging to the last remnant of her father. She was increasingly emotional.

Chains, meanwhile, was watching a video he had taken of Roman's fall. It cut just when he hit the tree level, blocking view. Nothing he could see suggested Roman was alive. He slammed his wall in rage. He continually cursed the name of Cinder, and finally, he simply laid back in his bed. Not only had he not gotten to kill the young Schnee, he had lost his boss.

Emerald took Roman's seat. Tyrian and Cinder were nowhere to be found. Watts was snickering. Hazel, however, seemed contemplative. Salem was sitting down. She picked up a candle off the ground, and gently crushed it.

"I can sense something. Something has happened to Roman, hasn't it?"

"He's _dead!_ " Emerald said in exasperation.

Salem looked down at her palms. This was unfortunate. The chaos he was creating was making an excellent distraction. He had kept everyone off their scent. But now, he was gone. This was very unlucky. She should not have sent him on such a dangerous mission.

"Talk to his followers. Talk to the Fangwicks. Tell them that their leader is gone. You are their new leader. Tell them to create chaos and death in his name. Additionally, I'm going to be supplying you your own mission. You are going to kill Ruby Rose."

"Me?"

"It was Roman's goal. Now it is yours. Perform your task. Roman's defeated her before."

"Where's Cinder?"

"Cinder and Tyrian disappeared. They left me a note stating that they had decided that they were going to clean up some loose ends from the failed operation. They are very proactive."

"She's going to make sure he's dead."

"What?"

"Cinder sent out a tip to the police. Roman's death is on her."

"I see. That said, I will not be dealing with her. She is too crucial an asset as she is."

" _What?_ "

"I found a lead to Ms. Rose's location. You will be heading to a bar in Vale tomorrow. Sleep well. Junior will not be easy to interview."

Emerald nodded submissively, and sighed. Now she was right back under the thumb of a queen figure. How she had started all this. Roman was gone. She was still trying to process that fact. She had never even gotten to hold his hand. She had never gotten to hear him say he loved her. She had never gotten to hear him praise her. Likewise, she knew he wanted more too.

She drifted away in thought. Roman Torchwick's book had just closed. Hers had opened. What was she going to do now? She scrambled, and fidgeted. She began to reload her guns, and finally managed to just as Neo walked into the room. She tossed Roman's hat down to Emerald, and motioned for her to pick it up.

"My turn to give the big speech?"

She nodded.

* * *

Emerald walked out onto the stage before a crowd, Chains behind her. A bead of sweat ran down her neck. She donned his hat. She heard jeering in the crowd. Neo stood by her side. Chains, Neo, and Emerald served as a trio. Emerald finally spoke into the microphone in front of her.

"He's gone."

She heard boos from the entire crowd, and nearly shied away from the mic. Chains patted her on the shoulder, however, and told her to go on.

"Roman Torchwick is dead. The rumors were true. But don't leave. I'm not done."

She heard them yelling.

"What is this bitch doing?"

"Roman can't be dead!"

"He was so beautiful…"

"He was one of us!"

She finally got enraged.

" _Enough!_ I'm not allowing his memory to be disrespected. I'm taking control. You want to leave, go ahead."

A pair of glowing eyes watched over as she gave a speech. It was oddly similar to Roman's speech. She started with boos. Jeers. People yelling aggressive things at her. Wanting Roman back. But as she went on, more continued to silently cheer her on. By the end, hundreds of fists pumped for her. It was a satisfying sight. She was his successor, truly.

Dark nails and wings retreated back into the shadows, smiling. This had been the goal. Now that she had a chance to be in control, she would finally learn victory. He clenched his fist in success. He longed to see her. But this wasn't about him. It was about her. He exited in silence, never noticed.

As the Fangwicks cheered her on, Neo smirked in a psychotic manner. Like father, like daughter. Chains kept ready for anything. But for now, they all knew it was the beginning of their victory. First was the rallying. Now for the fun part. The takeover.

"Finally."


End file.
